Review #16: "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

Favorite Quotes:

"Burt took a white mouse out of the cage and showd him to me. Burt said thats Algernon and he can do this amazed very good." -page 7

"I dint know they had majers in collidge. I thot it was onley in the army." -page 20

"This morning Gimpy hes the head baker and he has a bad foot and he limps he used my name when he shouted at Ernie because Ernie losst a birthday cake. He said Ernie for godsake you trying to be a Charlie Gordon. I dont know why he said that. I never lost any packiges." -page 23

"What bothers me is that I can't put into words the way I feel." -page 80

"They would always find excuses to slip away, afraid to reveal the narrowness of their knowledge." -page 98

"Nothing in our minds is ever really gone." -page 195

"Watching Algernon squirm under those tiny bands this afternoon, I felt them around my own arms and legs. I started to gag and choke, and I had to get out of the lab for fresh air. I've got to stop identifying with him." -page 232

"I wept as I put a bunch of wild flowers on the grave." -page 258

About the Main Character:

Charlie Gordon works at a bakery where the other employees make fun of him, but because of his retardation he doesn't notice. His parents sent him away at a young age because he couldn't be normal. He takes classes for handicapped adults where he works hard to read and write. He stands out simply for his strong desire to learn. As a result of the recommendation of his teacher, Charlies has been selected to be the first human in a trial operation to increase his intelligence. After the operation, Charlie's life changes dramatically. He just can't decide if it was for the better or not.

Another Character to Note:

It's hard to pick only one supporting character to mention because so many of them are well developed. Charlie's mother, Rose, is interesting because of her drastic change of emotion towards her son once she realized he would never be like the other children his age. Alice, his teacher turned love interest, is engaging because she cared for Charlie deeply before his operation and that affection only grew. Alice represents the balance between intelligence and emotion that Charlie struggles to find throughout the novel. Professor Nemur is curious because he highlights faults in Charlie that he also contains, such as arrogance. He views Charlie as an experiment, not a person, which makes him very unlikeable. 

Plot Breakdown:

I feel like I've been giving too much away in these little breakdowns so I'm going to try and switch up this week :)

Charlie Gordon is chosen to undergo experimental surgery to increase his intelligence. Algernon is the mouse that they've seen the most success with in their trials. Charlie experiences a huge influx of genius and, as a result, his life is completely altered. He begins to see what his life was really like...full of ridicule he didn't understand and struggles because of his handicap. 

Emotions become difficult as he becomes cold with the increase in knowledge. Keyes creates a lot of intrigue with Charlie's skewed sexual perspective as a result of mistreatment as a child and a lifetime of ignorance on the subject. The way his emotional disconnect plays into his new life is riveting and heart-breaking all at the same time. 

What I loved most about this novel was the insight Keyes gives on how Charlie feels about the way people treated him before he had the operation. There are those who misused him because he didn't know any better. While Charlie is infuriated and hurt by the realization of that mistreatment, he seems to be equally as hurt about the condescending pity that he was shown. Even though the pity was not intended in the way the hateful acts were, they belittled Charlie just the same. 

All he ever wanted is for people to see him as a person.

Something Interesting to Note:

One of my favorite aspects of this novel was the way Keyes changed the usage and grammar to coincide with Charlie's progress. The book is written in the form of progress reports from Charlie's perspective. At first he has no grammatical tools other than a period at the end of his sentences. His early reports are full of fragments and run-ons and words written as they sound rather than their correct spelling. There is obvious confusion on very basic subejcts, but Keyes also includes a warmth and obvious kindness in the early Charlie Gordon that makes him very likeable. 

As the transformation occurs, Charlie's grammar and usage develop with the level of his intelligence. But as he progresses, the warmth leaves his writing and is replaced by objectivity and directness. 

This affected speech makes the operation and Charlie's change more tangible to the reader. 

Keyes is extremely effective with this tool!

Should you read Flowers for Algernon before you die?

Simply because of the eye-opening effect it had on me, I would say yes! My instincts tell me to feel sorry for someone who is handicapped like Charlie. I automatically feel like I need to do anything and everything I can to make their life easier. I remember sitting in an airport cafeteria once waiting for a flight. While I sat their I noticed that the middle-aged custodial attendant working was limping and seemed to have other mental handicaps as well. My heart strings were immediately tugged. When he dropped some of his cleaner and went to reach for it and his broom fell over, I instantly jumped up to help him. But he wouldn't let me. I went back to the table with my feelings a little hurt and a touch embarrassed. I didn't get it then, but I do now. That man didn't need my pity; he simply needed me to treat him like a person who was capable of doing his job without my help.

 Charlie Gordon helped me learn that lesson.