Surgery In Charlie Gordon's 'Flowers For Algernon'

Zack Arne
Mrs. Veitch
Per. 6 Surgery or not surgery that is the question Imagine that you had an IQ of 68. Life would be really hard, people would make fun of you or pity you. But you have a chance to have a surgery that would triple your IQ. But there would be a risk that you could die. Would you do it? Flowers for Algernon is a story about a guy named Charlie Gordon, who has an iq of 68 he also had the chance to have his IQ tripled. He had a choice either becomes smart or stay the way he is. I think that Charlie should have the surgery because of these 3 reasons, he is super smart, he realizes a lot more things in life , and that he can power through depression.

The first reason that Charlie should have the surgery is that he is

One time Joe and Frank took Charlie to a party. Charlie said he did not want to drink alcohol, so Joe gives him a coke and then tells him to go dance with a girl named Ellen then he tried to dance with her but he was always stumbling because someone was always tripping him. He saw .that everyone was laughing at him and then he ran out of the building and threw up because somebody spiked the coke. A quote from that part was “ now I know what it means when they say “to pull a Charlie Gordon.” i’m ashamed.”(Keyes 11). Charlie also realized that he really liked Miss kinnian. A quote from the book says “I don’t understand why I never noticed how beautiful Miss Kinnian really is.”(Keyes 15). Before the surgery, Charlie did not really understand a lot of stuff, but know that he had the surgery, he understands a lot more stuff including how beautiful Miss Kinnian

But when Charlie got the surgery, he realized when his intelligence was wearing off, he got super depressed but he powered through the depression. One quote from the book that indicates depression is “please... please let me not forget how to read and write.” (keyes 25). Even though he is forgetting how to read and write and he is getting depressed, he powers through the depression. On the last page he says “im taking a cuple of books along and even if i cant reed them ill practise hard and maybe i wont forget every thing i learned. Of i try reel hard and maybe ill be a little bit smarter than i was before the operashun. I got my rabbits foot and my luky penny and may’be thet will help me [sic].” (Keyes 27). This quote shows that even though he forgot how to write/read very well he still tries to be