Flowers For Algernon is a novel written in a series of progress reports by the protagonist Charlie Gordan. From the beginning, author Daniel Keyes makes it clear that Charlie has a mental disability. Barely able to read and write, Charlie is forced to make a decision that will impact his life forever. Beekman University scientists Harold Strauss and Professor Nemur needed a volunteer to test the experimental science of intelligence enhancement. Charlie was specifically selected into the “Education Center for Retarded Adults” after being recommended by his longtime teacher, Alice Kinnian. Charlie was eager to have surgery and become intelligent, but first they needed permission from a family member. Charlie is still unable to recall his memories, doesn't remember where his family is, or even if he has any alive. Norma Gordon, Charlie's sister, was found by university staff and given permission to carry out the operation. Although Charlie doesn't fully understand what a friend is, once he arrives at the lab, he makes an unlikely friend. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay “I Think I'll Be Friends With Algernon”. Algernon, the white lab mouse who has learned to solve complex mazes, escape from almost any cage, and display his emotions through his actions. This is a hopeful sign for both the doctors and Charlie, as this is the first time the operation has been stuck and the resulting intelligence hasn't dissipated quickly. Let's be real, he lives in a cage and goes through mazes to get food. More importantly, Algernon couldn't exactly give permission for mind-altering surgery. As a defenseless animal, it is completely at the mercy of scientists. And he's not the only one. Charlie, too, has virtually no ability to say no to Strauss and Nemur, let alone give consent for anything they do to him in the name of science. While Algernon and Charlie experience a similar task and similar tests, Algernon's is a foreshadowing of Charlie's future. As Algernon begins to lose his intelligence, it is a frightening sign that Charlie's own psychological additions will also begin to disappear. Algernon also symbolizes Charlie's status as a subject of the researchers, safe and confined, forced to undergo any tests at the request of the researchers. Charlie identifies with this mouse, because he understands that both are just laboratory investigations for the researchers who examine them. Although he was grieving Algernon's passing, a special request was made for flowers to be placed at his grave, symbolizing mourning and memories with him. In the first 4 months of surgery, Charlie's IQ jumped more than 50 points and is only increasing faster. the more it becomes. Dr. Strauss and Professor Nemur allow Charlie to constantly learn, and Charlie's motivation has not diminished. During the first month of surgery, Charlie had trouble sleeping. Doctors realized that Charlie's ability to learn was similar to that of a baby, soaking up information. So they played complex speeches from different parts of the world and Charlie quickly became multilingual. However, with this intelligence, Charlie begins to have memories of his tragic childhood life and also realizes that his whole life he thought he had friends, but they actually made fun of him.his delay. “People always spoke and acted as if I wasn’t there, as if they didn’t care what I heard.” Recalling past memories of the bakery, Charlie recounts specific times when his friends were trying to teach him new things and what wasn't obvious before was that now they weren't teaching Charlie, they were making fun of him. of his lack of understanding for their own pleasure. . Now, Charlie realizes that he hasn't had the friends he thought he would have, but this motivates him more to prove everyone wrong, and his family that he gradually begins to have memories of. “Don’t look at your sister in a sexual way!” This is false! Get him out of the house now! These were Charlie's first memories of his mother's words. Charlie remembers it for the first time, he describes it as an out-of-body experience, as if two Charlies were there and he was stuck in the background watching. His mother beats him and young Charlie soils his pants, which makes his mother even angrier, making him take a belt, but before he is beaten, he wakes up. Now that Charlie's IQ has increased and his intelligence is increasing rapidly, he begins to feel emotions he has never felt before, rage, hatred, love, confusion. Charlie begins to understand his troubled past and the exclusion he felt from his parents. Strauss and Professor Nemur congratulate Charlie on his IQ exceeding 100 and explain to him that he is the fastest learning human ever. Charlie now becomes as smart as these doctors and begins to question the way they treat him. "This may sound like ingratitude, but it's one of the things I hate about University – the attitude that I'm a guinea pig, or the constant references to having made me this that I am, how can I make it clear that they did not create me Charlie begins to question his own humanity, and if the doctors understand that he is human too, before and after the. operation As Charlie's intelligence continues to grow, his faint memories become more visible and he begins to realize that his previous ignorance caused him less stress and anxiety than it does today. Dr. Strauss and Prof. Nemur tell Charlie about the psychological science press conference taking place in Chicago and are excited to attend. That's when the press conference begins. world opens, Charlie realizes how people perceive him once the conference begins. “We who work on this project at Beckman University have the satisfaction of knowing that we have taken one of nature's mistakes and, with our new techniques, have created a superior human being. » Professor Nemur continues to explain how Charlie was not part of society before the surgery, and had no contact with the present to live a normal life. These statements caused Charlie, from a wandering and distraught man, to go through all this stress; it took everything for Charlie not to fight back. “I am a human being, a person – with parents, memories and history – and I was before you took me into this operating room!” Charlie thought. The permanence of the operation being unknown, Charlie knew that the doctor's conclusions had been premature, both for Algernon and for himself. “Like Algernon, I found myself behind the wire of the cage they had built around me.” From that moment on, Charlie was determined to get out of there, along with Algernon, who he now considers his only trusted friend. Charlie sneakily unlocked Algernon's cage and while heescaped, chaos ensued in the conference. Algernon's intelligence, along with Charlie's, helped them escape while everyone was frantically trying to find them, as Professor Nemur said, if we don't find him, all our experience is in danger. Through this turmoil, Charlie had a revelation. Thanks to his multilingualism, Charlie has read about the advancement of Hindu and Arabic research, he has found a tragic flaw in the doctor's research and knows that not everything is going as he hoped and that his intelligence can dissipate more quickly than expected. “I need to see my parents first. As much as possible. Maybe I don't have all the time I thought I had. »When Charlie reunites with his parents, he knows that things are no longer the way they used to be, or the way his brief memories serve him. Charlie struggles to accept that his parents may not remember who he is or care enough to get to know him, but he is determined to uncover his past and find out who he was really before the operation. After visiting his father at his hairdresser and his mother with his sister, he now understands that neither of them were ever concerned about him, simply overwhelmed by what others thought and describing the perfect family to all those who didn't know it. It's at this point that Charlie begins to question what his happiness really means, and he realizes that his growing intelligence hasn't made him happier except to reveal all the problems and stress that arise. in his life, with others. On the theme that intelligence does not bring happiness, there are many clues throughout the novel that allude to Charlie's experiences. Charlie discovers that the friends he thought he always had had regularly exploited him before the operation. This makes Charlie suspicious of the general population around him. He now understands that his colleagues were simply using him to continue making jokes. Likewise, he was fired from the bakery he cherished so much because his new knowledge made the workers around him feel inferior to Charlie. This sends him into a short depression. He had no one to relate to since now Charlie's knowledge had just surpassed that of the scientist testing him. He had no one to identify with because at this point Charlie's intelligence already exceeded that of his teacher and the doctors. Before Charlie became intelligent, even the simplest experiences in life were enough for him. As a genius, none of these things mattered to him. His mind was more complex, he needed more. For Charlie, happiness is determined both by his level of intelligence but also by his level of human connection. During his brief time as a "normal" person, Charlie discovers great pain, both within himself and within himself, but he also discovers great joy. When he finally manages to make love to Alice, he describes it as a wonderful experience. He sees “how important physical love was, how necessary it was for us to be in each other’s arms, giving and receiving. The universe was exploding... As when men, in order not to be swept overboard in the storm, held each other's hands to resist being torn away, our bodies merged a link in the human chain which prevented us from being dragged into nothingness. Even after Charlie regresses, he still remembers the happiness he experienced during his stay with his friends and loved ones; he asks people not to feel bad for him, as he says, "I'm glad I found out about me and my family...,.