Two Ends of the Spectrum: Behavioural Isolation It’s a scenario that is common, if not heartbreaking. Someone who is different is ridiculed, taught to try and hide what him or her unique, and grows up hating who they really are. In America, young girls are taught that “beautiful” means light-skinned, blue-eyed, and blond-haired; in China, beautiful exemplifies pale skin, long, glossy black hair, and big eyes- because that is what surrounds us. That is the norm. Children grow up into insecure adults, who use means like plastic surgeries to conform to the standards society sets for them. But what if operations didn’t just change the way you looked? What if they could change the level of your intelligence, too? Such is the plot of short story …show more content…
Any conclusion that is drawn from this piece is not to be taken lightly, as “Flowers for Algernon” is an enigmatic text, a puzzle of sorts, with philosophical roots that examine the human nature. The more we reflect on this question Keyes poses, the harder it is to answer. It involves a study of the human mind, which leads us through the devious mazes of dreams, of wanting things we can’t have, out of which it is difficult to find our way. The answer seems easy enough in the beginning; Charles Gordon, the 32 year old developmentally disabled man who is the main character of Keyes’s short story, has the opportunity to undergo a surgical procedure that will dramatically increase his mental capabilities. Charlie has always wanted to be smart, and so jumps at the chance without a second thought for any side effects. On its surface, the deal looks like a good one; Charlie gets to become smart, and interact with his friends in a normal fashion. However, as the story progresses, the deal doesn’t look so great after all. For one, after the operation, Charlie is unable to converse at an everyday level, falls into a downward spiral in both mental and physical health, and figures out that Joe Carp and Frank Reilly, two people he thought were his friends, just kept him around to laugh at him, which leads to him starting to suspect everyone around him. By observing the piece with a more critical mindset that acknowledges the story’s importance, and after deliberating claims and evidence from both sides, we can safely come to the conclusion that the operation merely traded one form of isolation for another, with added physical and mental deterioration. In the end, the choice is obvious: Charlie was better off before the surgery after
The doctors didn’t inform Charlie about the surgery anything what so ever. They didn’t tell him about the risk or what could go wrong doing the procedure. They treated Charlie as a lab rad, which he is not. They had no respect for Charlie or his well being and only cared about their research. Charlie as a patient has the right to be treated as one, not a test subject.
This is because they hadn't shown enough concern to tell Charlie how he would function both during and after the operation. In "Flowers for Algernon," Charlie Gordon is made fun of for his low IQ, but shunned by coworkers during the experiment. After the experiment had been completed, it was near impossible for Charlie to return to his normal life. "This intellegnce has driven a wedge between me and the people I once knew and loved" (Keyes 72). Charlie also had much trouble returning to his normal life before the surgery, and example is, "I did a dumb thing today I forgot I wasn't in Miss Kinnians
Flowers for Algernon Essay In the story Flowers for Algernon scientists found a way of increasing intelligence. In this story the main character is Charlie Gordon who has problems retaining knowledge. He was offered a surgery to increase his intelligence.
The classic book Flowers for Algernon, which was written by Daniel Keyes in the late 1900’s, explains the story about a middle-aged man named Charlie Gordon and the struggles he faces from having a mental disability. Charlie Gordon worked at Donnegon’s Box Company, but while working there, he was made fun of and called stupid for something he can’t control. Charlie had a wish for all people to love and accept him, but couldn’t understand that there is always going to be someone that wouldn’t like him which made him feel unwanted and unappreciated. Throughout Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes develops a theme of self-acceptance to explain how people shouldn’t change themselves to fit in with others.
The short story Flowers for Algernon is about a 37 year old man with learning disabilities. He agrees to take on an operation which will enhance his speed of learning and hopefully will make him 2 times smarter. Although the operation goes as planned in my opinion the man, Charlie, has changed negatively through it. In the beginning of the short story Charlie has poor social skills and thinks people who are working with him in a factory are his friends, but they are only mocking him. " Sometimes somebody will say hey look at Joe or Frank or George he really pulled a Charlie Gordon.
I think that Charlie should have the surgery because of these 3 reasons, he is super smart, he realizes a lot more things in life , and that he can power through depression. The first reason that Charlie should have the surgery is that he is
“The ability to observe without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence.” The great author, J. Krishnamurti said this quote. And this idea is exactly what the community in the book, “Flowers for Algernon,” written by Daniel Keyes needs to learn. An avid sci-fi story, this book leads us through the rendezvous of the main character Charlie Gordon, while becoming accompanied by a timid mouse, Algernon. Before, Charlie is considered the runt of the pack, an inefficient and clueless person, constantly wandering around.
Unlocking Knowledge and discovering the impact it can have on someone’s life and society is shown through Charlie Gordon in the book Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes,is about a man named Charlie Gordon with an IQ of 68. He gets an experimental surgery that makes him smarter. Flowers for Algernon is written as a bunch of progress reports that Charlie wrote throughout the process of the surgery. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes uses tone and literary devices to convey how powerful knowledge is and how it can change people in American society & culture. One of the main themes in the book is how strong knowledge is and how it can change someone’s life.
Within the novel Flowers for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes, the theme of not all things being as perfect as they seem is prevalent. The main character, Charlie Gordon, was born mentally retarted and currently in adulthood has a deep desire for greater intelligence: “I hope they use me becaus Miss Kinnian says maybe they can make me smart. I want to be smart” (Keyes 1). This shows Charlie’s wish for intelligence. He wants to be used since the college he attends for retarted adults is doing a study trying to artificially increase the intelligence in someone.
Although, if Charlie did not have the surgery, he would not have had the experience of becoming super smart. Charlie would agree with me that he did not feel happy with himself that he had the surgery. He decided that he wanted to leave New York because he was so embarrassed about pulling a “Charlie Gordon.” Charlie should not have had the surgery because, before the surgery, he had the motivation to become smart, and after the surgery, he became depressed and realized that the world plus the people in it are
Flowers for Algernon explores themes of ethical dilemmas in scientific research. Charlie Gordon is the first human to undergo an experimental operation to triple his IQ from 68 to 204. His mental capacities dramatically increase, but the consequences are drastic when the operation fails and he regresses. Under Charlie’s circumstances, the operation was unethical. Charlie, mentally disabled, cannot give informed consent.
The setting of “Flowers for Algernon” takes place in New York during the 1960s where people with mental disabilities were treated unfairly. Even though Charlie and Max persevered through similar situations, Charlie had a different personality. Unlike Max, Charlie was innocent, extroverted, and naive. We know this because Keyes presented in the book, “Everybody laffed and we had a good time and they gave me lots of drinks and Joe said Charlie is a card when he is potted”(Keyes 40). With Charlie being outspoken, he was able express in a positive manner what he was feeling and believed.
Flowers For Algernon Person Vs Society. Our day to day lives force us to interact with people everyday, as a result, people must interact with those with less intelligence. Throughout the book people look at Charlie differently because he has a lower intelligence. Later in the book, as he is getting smarter, people start looking at him like he’s a human being and not some type of alien. This is because Charlie gets a special operation that makes him smarter and smarter each day.
However, after the surgery, Charlie finds intelligence was a nice treat but was far from an importance in life and only took him away from what truly mattered. One could believe Charlie was wrong to undergo the surgery because of the side effects that came with the surgery such as physical and emotional instability, and amnesia, the depresion it came with, and how he lost all of his friends and loved ones with his extreme intelligence. First off, one reason Charlie should not have gotten the surgery is the depression and suicidal thoughts it came with for
The novel Flowers for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes effectively explores the complex human experiences of disability and the impact that it has on individuals and society through its three major themes; Self-realisation , Alienation and loneliness and treatment of the mentally disabled by society. Through these themes this response will highlight the difficulties experienced by people with disabilities and the people in their lives. The first theme in Flowers for Algernon is self-realisation. Charlie’s new found knowledge has allowed him to have the ability to voice his needs and wants for understanding, acceptance, and love.