If IQ was measured by kindness, Charlie Gordon would’ve been a genius. In the short story, “Flowers for Algernon”, written by Daniel Keys, Charlie Gordon is a mentally-impaired man that was best friends with a mouse named Algernon. If I was given the opportunity to be Charlie’s friend, I think he would be a great one. I believe so because he is: optimistic, hard-working, and kind-hearted. To begin with, Charlie is a very optimistic man. On page 194, Algernon kept beating Charlie in maze races. Instead of giving up and having a bad attitude about it, Charlie looked on the bright side and told himself that one day, he would beat Algernon. And eventually, he did. If Charlie hadn’t of been optimistic, he would’ve never beaten Algernon. Another example of …show more content…
Although this was a very devastating time for Charlie, he still continued to think positively about all the work he had done when he was a genius that would benefit people with the same limitations as himself. Also, he would just think about how lucky he was to just be able to experience what it was like to have such knowledge. Equally important, Charlie was extremely hard-working. On page 190 and 191, Charlie had to try to see a picture in inkblots, but he couldn’t. Instead of quitting altogether, he tried and tried as hard as he could to see something. He never saw a picture that day, but he also never gave up. The next time he took the same test, he saw something and I like to think that his hard work and determination was a great factor in that. Another example of Charlie’s hard-working trait is on page 215. On this page, Charlie promised his doctors and himself that he would get smart. Even though the results took time, he worked hard and did everything he could do to make it happen. In addition to being hard-working, and optimistic, Charlie is
His intelligence came with a price that made him rethink his entire situation. Charlie was happier with an IQ of 68 because he was oblivious to what was going on around him, people would treat him differently after the surgery, and he struggled with his identity. Charlie was happier when he was oblivious to what was going on around him. Being oblivious and ignorant is not a good thing, but in Charlie's case, not knowing
Will the same happen to Charlie? Through the novel Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes demonstrates that despite the obstacles and hardships, hope drives that person to continue doing things through Charlie’s journey to increasing intelligence, Algernon’s decline, and Charlie’s decline at the close of the novel. Initially, Keyes utilizes Charlie’s motivation for going through with increasing intelligence to illustrate that hope drives those who might otherwise give up due to the obstacles and hardships. For example, Charlie, the disabled adult, while he conveys his hope to increasing intelligence, simply states, “I dont care so much about beeing famus. I just want to be smart like other pepul so I can have lots of frends who like me” (Keyes 13).
“I want to be smart”(Keyes 1), and “I hope they use me”(Keyes 1), were things Charlie said in the beginning of the story, so it proves he did not think about the precautions. Charlie only wanted to do this in hopes to be smart and smart only, he did not know what he was getting himself into. Others may say that Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur told Charlie all the results, though while all the conditions were stated, they all went in one ear and out the other, Charlie only had one thing on his mind. Charlie wrote “ He rote somthing down on a paper and I got skared of faling the test”(Keyes 1). So, is only worry is not getting chosen, not death, not amnesia, he only wants to be smart.
In Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, Charlie Gordon, the main character, demonstrates great determination throughout the novel. Charlie starts off the novel as a grown adult at the age of 32 with an I.Q. of 68. He gets nominated by his teacher, Miss Kinnian, to get a surgery done that will increase his intelligence level. Throughout the story, Charlie shows great determination, as he wants to be smart to prove his family wrong, since they kicked him out of the house. In progress report 7 Charlie shares, “Mabey they wouldnt send me away no more if they see how smart I am.
It is very hard to live with forgetfulness, impaired motor activity, depression, and a low IQ without any help. He has to go through the pain of knowing that the temporary intelligence he had received was all going to leave him. Charlie also does not have a stable income so it would be hard for him to learn more through an adult school like Miss Kinnian’s. By comparing Charlie’s mental state before and after the experiment, one can easily see that he was much more mentally stable before the
In the book The Final Hour by Andrew Klavan, the main character, Charlie West, changed as a person due to their experiences fighting the Homelanders. Before starting the fight against the Homelanders, and he was still in jail for a murder he didn’t commit Charlie was very different, and more beaten down than he is by the end of the book. First of all, on page 4, Charlie says, “I felt a black despair surrounding me, closing in on me.” What this means is that Charlie is now scared, because he knows there are people in the prison that want to kill him, and the “black despair” was supposed to represent his coming death.
He also made important contributions to science after his intelligence levels increased. Finally, he was able to feel more complex emotions. What Charlie wanted most in his life was to be viewed
Charlie Gordon, from Daniel Keyes’ short story “Flowers for Algernon,” should not have had the experimental operation to increase his intelligence. He would have lived longer, would have still been happy, and they didn’t follow the Scientific Method. First, he is happy, but when he gets smart. Later he realizes that his “friends” aren’t really his friends. “I was laughing at myself”(331).
That was the society that Charlie lived in; the afore mentioned view had been instilled within him. Unfortunately for Charlie, he was mentally ill. This made Charlie eager to be the subject of an experiment with unknown side-effects and probable consequences. The doctors that would conduct the experimental operation jumped upon the opportunity of Charlie’s
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.
With his newfound intellect, he was brought to the realization that his best friends, Frank and Joe, did not care for him at all; he realized that they only kept him around to berate him. Charlie was correspondingly brought to learn the difference between when people are laughing with you, versus laughing at you. Additionally, He learned what it actually meant to “pull a Charlie Gordon”. Insights similar to the one stated prior caused Charlie to lose his idyllic state due to his former ignorance. Moreover, Charlie's increasing intellect permitted him to feel more complex emotions than “happy” and ‘sad”.
At the end of Charlie’s incline of intelligence he becomes paranoid and suspicious like when he examined Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss’ credentials and morals. Charlie examines their credentials as such, “I believe that Dr. Nemur was afraid of further delay because he was worried someone else might make a discovery along these lines and take the credit from him. Dr. Strauss on the other hand might be called a genius, although I feel that his areas of knowledge are too limited.” (Keyes 297). Even if Charlie was suspicious and paranoid, seeing the world greatly impacted him because through his experiences he realized how he was previously, before the surgery.
He has a good natcher hes interested and eager to please,” on page 185. This quote is what the doctors were saying about Charlie. This quote reveals that his perspective is surprising because most people of his level of of intelligence are hostile and do not want to
but he is also getting incredibly smart and it will not be long until he is smarter than Miss Kinnian. Charlie chose the right thing going through with the surgery because he found new friends, good people, and he fell in love with Miss Kinnian. Charlies experiment contributed to science. Charlie was humble and selfless throughout the whole experiment, and he was very proud of what he accomplished! When he discovered his regression he stated, “I am grateful
The main mental condition that Charlie has