Essay on Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes

📌Category: Books, Flowers For Algernon
📌Words: 600
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 15 June 2022

In the short story, “Flowers For Algernon” by Daniel Keyes, a man named Charlie, who has a cognitive impairment, is trying to fit in with his community and be smarter. He ends up agreeing to be operated on in hopes of improving his cognitive abilities. The surgery ends up being successful for a few months until his cognitive abilities worsen and his mental health deteriorates. The surgery ended up worsening Charlie’s quality of life.

The operation worsened Charlie’s quality of life because he knew that what happened to the mouse it was tested on, Algernon, would eventually happen to him. Charlie figured out, “His brain had decreased in weight and there was a general smoothing out of cerebral convolutions as well as a deepening and broadening of brain fissures. I guess the same thing is or will soon be happening to me” (Keyes 302). Due to this, he thinks the same thing will happen to him. In the end, Charlie feels bad for the people the surgery affected including himself. He shows this when he writes, “She gave Mrs Flynn money to pay the rent. I dont want that. I got to get a job” (Keyes 305). He also shows this when he states, “Thats why im going away from New York for good. I dont want to do nothing like that agen. I dont want Miss Kinnian to feel sorry for me. Evry body feels sorry at the factery and I dont want that eather so Im going someplace where nobody knows that Charlie Gordon was once a genus and now he cant even reed a book or rite good” (Keyes 305). Charlie wants to go somewhere where he doesn't hurt or affect anyone. He doesn't want anyone to feel bad or sorry for him either. At this point in the story, Charlie wants to be left alone.

Another reason the operation worsened Charlie’s quality of life is that he blamed himself for being “dumb agen”. This is shown in the text when he writes “I dont know why im dumb agen or what I did wrong maybe its becaus I dint try hard enuff” (Keyes 306). He believes he should have tried harder when in reality, he did nothing wrong. After his cognitive abilities began to worsen, Charlie realized that he made a choice, and had to live through its consequences. “I knew what might happen. But now it hurts” (Keyes 303). Now, the consequences (worsening cognitive abilities) were hitting hard.

Although Charlie was excited before the operation, the process of his IQ increasing and decreasing was bad for his mental health and perspective on previous events. For example, before the operation, he never knew if he was being made fun of. Now, he realizes it and it changes how he reacts to it negatively. This is shown in the text when Charlie writes, “He smiled when I told him I used to be a genius. He talked to me like I was a baby and he winked at Mrs Flynn. I got mad and chased him out because he was making fun of me the way they all used to” (Keyes 304). Another example of the process of his IQ increasing and decreasing being bad for him is how he became anti-social. This is shown in the text when he states, “No matter what I try to discuss with her, I am unable to communicate. I find that I don't communicate with people much anymore” (Keyes 298).

In the end, the operation worsened Charlie’s quality of life. This is because he thought it could worsen his health, he feels bad for others it affected, he believes he should have tried harder to be smart, and started to feel the consequences when his cognitive abilities began to decline. Charlie’s quality of life and mental health would have been better if he was left alone.

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