Literary Devices In Daniel Keyes Flowers For Algernon

Medical procedures are common in the present day, most for permanent improvement upon physical aspects of our body, but for Charlie, things are very different. This story is about a man who is mentally challenged and gains intelligence very quickly when he is selected as the first human to undergo a mental enhancement surgery, but as he gets smarter things don’t get easier. I read the story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes. In this story, Keyes uses symbolism, imagery, and the first person to present the theme; success doesn’t always lead to happiness. One literary device that Keyes uses to show the theme in this story is symbolism. Symbolism is presented through the mouse, Algernon. In the story, Charlie races Algernon, a mouse that

Charlie’s life changes as his intelligence grows, he learns a lot about others opinions of him that he did not understand before. And along with his understanding changing, his friends are scared of his sudden growth in intelligence which separates him from his friends even more. “Now I have the feeling of shame burning inside me. This intelligence has driven a wedge between me and all the people I once knew and loved. Before, they laughed at me and despised me for my ignorance and dullness; now, they hate me for my knowledge and understanding. What in God's name do they want of me? They've driven me out of the factory. Now I'm more alone than ever before …” (Keyes, April 30) The author uses descriptive words to help us understand Charlie’s point of view and provides a vivid image of his thoughts. This example helps us understand that along with his internal struggle of not feeling like he is successful enough, he also feels that no matter how he acts or who he is, his friends still won’t look at him as an equal, this makes Charle feel more lost and more alone. This supports my claim that the theme of the story is that success doesn’t always mean