Lord Alfred Tennyson tells us that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. In some cases, that is true. However, in the short story “Flowers For Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, it is a much different story. Being born mentally disabled, Charlie Gordon’s dream was to become more intelligent. When given the opportunity to artificially achieve that dream, he did not hesitate to take it. The results were astonishing, tripling his IQ and giving him more brainpower than he had ever thought possible. The operation that Charlie received to increase his intelligence levels allowed him to surpass smart, and transform into--what most people would consider--a genius. He was conducting his own hypotheses and experiments, becoming fluent in different languages, and had even become acquainted with the wondrous sensations of love. However, these remarkable newly-found abilities were not the final aftermath of the operation; …show more content…
In a letter to Dr. Strauss (the neurosurgeon who found Charlie through Miss Kinnian and performed the operation), he wrote: “...for the sake of science, I am grateful for the little bit that I here add to the knowledge of the function of the human mind and the laws governing the artificial increase of human intelligence. I recall you once saying to me that the failure or disproving of a theory was as important to the advancement of learning as a success would be. I know now that this is true.” (Keyes, 16) However, when he stated this, he had not yet experienced the loss of his ingenuity, therefore rendering him ignorant. He had not yet felt what it would be like to acquire such intelligence, then to have it ripped out of his arms, and stabbed to death, right in front of his face. Similar to the situation with Joe Carp and Frank Reilly, the only reason he gave his consent was because he was unaware of what was