Grammar In Flowers For Algernon

Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction story by Daniel Keyes that follows the radical change of Charlie Gordon as he is giving a brain surgery that changed him from a man with an IQ of 68 to a genius beyond recognition. This story was originally published as a short story and was later printed as a novel. This book follows the progress reports of Charlie before, during, and after his transformation. The author shows this by changing Charlie’s grammar and sentence structure as well as showing Charlie’s awareness of those around him. Jack Lewis from BrightonLeft points out the change in grammar as well as the lack of change in his emotional intelligence, he also mentions the reliability of this book. The change of grammar in the book pulls the reader into the story and makes the book that much harder to put down. At the beginning of the book Charlie writes his reports like a small child. “Im skared. Lots of pepul who werk at the collidge and at the medicil school came to wish me luk” (Keyes 11). This

We all experience emotional and physical struggles that are similar to Charlie’s, obviously not on as grand of a scale. Having tests in school and observations in working environments is similar to the way Charlie felt as the “lab rat” in this experiment. Throughout the book Charlie starts to resent the progress reports and the doctors constantly watching him and asking him questions. The constant judgment by society is also very similar to the way Charlie feels during most of the book. Flowers for Algernon is a classic book about the downside of intelligence on the grand scale as well as the effect of major life changes on relationships. Charlie had to learn whether he was better off before the experiment or if he cherished his short time with his knowledge. Lewis was completely correct when he discussed the importance of this book and the complex ideas that are touched upon in