Growth And Intelligence In Flowers For Algernon

Growth and Intelligence Growth is essential for building relationships and bettering yourself in life, without growth you will never improve. With growth, you also gain intelligence, with intelligence you can create better opportunities for yourself whether that be a better job or better friends. Although high intelligence is not needed for certain things in life, it can help get you in a better position for success and without it, you are put at a disadvantage. High intelligence isn’t always a good thing and in Flowers for Algernon, Keyes demonstrates how growth in intelligence will bring opportunities but also could create anger and disappointment. Before Charlie got the operation he believed that once he was intelligent that he would

Charlie before he had the operation is a janitor at a bakery and only got the job because Mr. Donner promised that he would look after Charlie. Once Charlie’s intelligence grows he can join Dr. Strauss and Professor Nemur at Beekman University almost instantly which would take others years to accomplish. Burt has been in school and studying for years trying to get his Ph.D. and then Charlie just gets to join right away with his “superb mind, intelligence that can't be calculated, more knowledge absorbed by now than most people pick up in a long lifetime” (Keyes, 140). Another opportunity that Charlie got was having the option to live on his own and be his person. Before he had the operation, Charlie had to have help from others to do most of his daily tasks. Charlie also would follow along with what other people were doing, not being himself but basing his personality off others. While at the bar Charlie was forced by Frank and Joe to dance with this girl, everyone at the bar “was all around in a circle watching and laughing at the way we were doing the steps. They laughed harder every time I fell, and I was laughing too because it was so funny” (Keyes, 39). They were making fun of Charlie but he went along with it because he didn't understand it was wrong. Now after the operation, Charlie was able to move out on his own and build his personality

Before Charlie gained his intelligence, he believed that he had many friends. When Joe or Frank would laugh at Charlie, he would laugh at himself not knowing that they were being mean to him. Charlie believed that “when I become intelligent the way Prof. Nemur says, "with much more than twice my IQ of 70, then maybe people will like me and be my friends” (Keyes, 46), this was true and false. Once Charlie was smart, he saw that Joe and Frank, who he used to believe to be his friends, were just making fun of him the entire time and were not his friends. This made Charlie feel lonely because he now didn’t know who his friends were and if they were making fun of him or not. Charlie got huge trust issues from this because of how smart he was we would overthink things ultimately ruining his relationship with people like how Professor Nemur told Charlie that “Your genius has destroyed your faith in the world and in your fellow men” (Keyes,