Charlie's Symbolism In Daniel Keyes Flowers For Algernon

If all other people like your friends, family and coworkers had something you desperately hungered for, would you truly be content with what you had? How far would you go to get what they had? In Daniel Keyes’ science fiction short story “Flowers for Algernon” Charlie is a factory worker with the humble job of a janitor. He volunteers for an experiment to increase his intelligence by performing surgeries on his brain. The experiment works at first, sending Charlie to I.Q. levels unknown, but the trial of the human brain failed and he was sent back to his ignoble beginnings. Charlie should have had the experiment because he always wanted to be intelligent like other people, he did not regret the experiment afterward and he accomplished great things for science.
One reason why Charlie should have had the

In his final entry, a farewell letter to Miss Kinnian and Dr. Strauss he states “If you ever reed this Miss Kinnian dont be sorry for me Im glad I got a second chanse to be smart becaus I lerned a lot of things that I never even new were in this world and Im grateful that I saw it all for a little bit {sic},” (Keyes 28). Even with all the agony that came with his experiment, from both the rejection of his friends and from his depressing loss of the knowledge he gained, Charlie thinks it was still worth it. Instead of being bitter he returns to the optimistic person in the beginning who believed he could turn smart if he worked hard enough. Charlie wasn’t spiteful to the scientists who performed the surgery or hostile to Miss Kinnian who recommended him for the surgery because of his optimism. He always wanted to be smart and he got his wish. Though it was only for a limited time he still could be proud that he was a genius and that he was smarter than any of his friends. For this Reason, Charlie should have had the surgery because he didn’t regret the