The Keyes-Robertson Effect

The Keyes-Robertson Effect

While the short story, "Flowers for Algernon", written by Daniel Keyes and the movie, Charly, directed by Cliff Robertson, are similar but their distinctions set them apart. These two memoirs share identical conflicts and themes. However, the plot, resolution, setting, and characterization drastically clash between the two versions. As a result, both of these renditions provide the audience with a variety of resemblances and distinctions. The tales, "Flowers for Algernon" and Charly, share two main literary elements which are discussed throughout the story. These two parallel interpretations give the same impressions. Conflict can be seen in both versions as man vs. society, and the theme inspires true love to

Daniel Keyes concludes the text with a young and pure Charlie Gordon quietly experiencing the most basic form of love. “I don’t understand why I never noticed how beautiful Miss Kinnian is… I’m in love with Miss Kinnian” (P 421). Like a child, Charlie slowly begins to notice her features and think about her more often. On the contrary, in the film when Charly is still at the incline of the operation, he asks Miss Kinnian to marry him three times, and each time she turns him down. Anyhow, after Charlie surpasses his rebellious phase, Miss Kinnian forces a departure with her fiance when she realizes that she is in love with Charly. She proposes to him three times, begging for him to join her in a life together, but all three times he turns her down. The motion picture depicts a much more public relationship where the feelings are mutual. Much like the resolution, the plots are also unrelated. The short story illustrates a simple minded man who knew from the beginning, “that it will probibly be tempirary” (P 411). With this knowledge he knows already that he will not stay at an expert level forever. Conversely, the award-winning production presents a completely different approach on the plot. Charly is not aware that the operation has the possibility of being temporary. Instead he, like everyone else, is fixed on the idea that