Flowers For Algernon Movie Vs Book

Flowers for Algernon is a short story written by Daniel Keyes in 1958 and published in 1959. The story is told through countless progress reports written by test subject Charlie Gordon. Charlie Gordon is a 32-year-old man who suffers from the effects of a low IQ. Leaping at the chance to become smart, a genius even, and to gain respect from his peers, Charlie agrees to undergo experiments that will “fix” his brain. Blinded by his mental handicaps, Charlie Gordon becomes the center of a revolutionary experiment. The reader can overlook Charlie’s improvement firsthand through progress reports. As the story progresses, Charlie’s emotions, understanding of things, and general intelligence change. As he becomes more aware, it is almost as if his new artificial intelligence has opened his eyes to the world around him. Once Charlie becomes understanding of his situation, he becomes the bitter and cynical character known

These overlooked details won’t matter to a regular viewer, however it can rub someone who has read Flowers for Algernon the wrong way. Confusing events such as Algernon being placed in Charlie’s room instead of stolen by Charlie himself, Charlie staying in one room the entire movie, and Algernon dying at the scientific conference may seem unsettling. Perhaps this was done in favor of time, but Fay, a key character, was also overlooked. She is believed to appear in an expressive point in the movie when Charlie was rejected by Miss Kinnian after sexually assaulting her. Charlie’s sexual assault didn’t happen in the book, either.

However, improvised scenes, such as Charlie’s question-and-answer segment did add personality and character to both him and the movie. As far as improvised scenes go, some aren’t always appreciated. As the movie approached its end, Miss Kinnian decides to forgive Charlie for his aggressive behavior. The two become friendly once again and eventually become a happy