A Review of The Book Flowers for Algernon

Introduction

“A child may not know how to feed itself, or what to eat, yet it knows of hunger.” This is how Charlie Gordon, the main character of this novella, views himself before he travels from ignorance to great intelligence. He always believed that his biggest ordeal in life was intelligence. Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction story with a side of philosophy, written by the famous American writer Daniel Keyes. The novella was inspired by events in Keyes’s life, starting with a conflict with his parents about his education, which led him to wonder what would happen if it were possible to increase one’s intelligence (Keyes, 1959).

Setting and Characters

The setting of this novella takes place in Chicago, New York. The primary locations are the bakery where Charlie works and the laboratory where he is an experiment for two scientists. The story spans from March 3rd to November 21st. Charlie Gordon is the narrator and the protagonist of this book. He starts as a kindhearted, mentally disabled man in his 30s, then he’s given the chance to become clever when he’s selected for experimental brain surgery. After that, he gains a massive amount of knowledge, yet his knowledge is not parallel, and this becomes a huge internal conflict for him. Along with Charlie, Algernon is a main character too. Algernon is a white laboratory mouse who was the original first experiment of its kind. Algernon becomes three times smarter than all the other mice and can solve very complex puzzles.

Mrs. Kinnian is Charlie’s tutor in a class for mentally challenged adults. She is impressed by Charlie’s motivation and hard work. She is indeed the one who recommends him to go through the operation to become smarter. Charlie falls in love with her while he’s a genius. Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur are also main characters. Dr. Strauss is the neurologist who performs the surgery; he's much more concerned about Charlie’s health than the cold-hearted scientist Dr. Nemur, who runs the experiment and merely sees Charlie as an animal, just like Algernon.

The Transformation

Flowers for Algernon is a track for the mental development of Charlie. He shows his progress through the changing sentence structure, vocabulary, and spelling. Charlie starts his report by expressing hope that the doctors will use him for the operation because he’s so eager to become smart. Because of his motivation, the doctors decide to use him. He undergoes several tests against Algernon. The doctors then give him a television-like machine that repeats words, which is supposed to make Charlie smart while he’s asleep. However, the progress after the operation is very slow, but soon Charlie beats Algernon and becomes so smart in many areas like philosophy, politics, and ancient languages.

He reaches a point where he finds flaws in his doctors' experimental calculations. By getting smart, Charlie now can see the true colors of his “friends,” and that makes him sad, as he notes in his report: “People think it’s funny when a dumb person can’t do things the same way they do” (Keyes, 1959, p. 125). Algernon becomes erratic and then dies, so Charlie realizes that his mental deterioration is inevitable. In a report entitled the Algernon-Gordon effect, Charlie explains: “Arterially-increased intelligence deteriorates at a rate of time directly proportional to the quantity of the increase” (Keyes, 1959, p. 132). With his remaining time before he forgets everything, Charlie keeps writing his reports. He reaches a point of suicidal thoughts but for the sake of science, he lives. He closes his report telling everyone not to feel guilty, and reminding his friends to lay flowers on Algernon’s grave.

Conclusion

In my opinion, this book has an incredible storyline that reflects human values so well. It also shows the path to understanding, how people change, and how your view of life changes when you gain a new perspective. The novella challenges readers to reflect on the true meaning of intelligence and the ethical implications of scientific experimentation. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.

References

Keyes, D. (1959). Flowers for Algernon. Harcourt, Brace & World.