Charlie is originally unable to consummate his love to Alice because of where he is emotionally; “I’m still a boy about women” (37). He chooses to move to the Warren State Home out of consideration for his friends. his coworkers at the bakery, have treated him with outright cruelty, Despite this, the staff at Warren do understand the hard work that goes into taking care of mental patients. The first nurse Charlie encounters after his surgery introduces this theme. Charlie is initially warmhearted and trusting,but as his intelligence increases he grows cold, arrogant, and disagreeable.The more he understands about the world, the more he recoils fromhuman contact. A third pervasive theme in the novel is the role of intelligence in human relationships. When Charlie is first going into the experiment, he also immediately connects its projected effects with how he “just wants to be smart like other pepul so I can have lots of frends who like me” (10). She says, “If you’d read your Bible, Charlie, you’d know that it’s not meant for man to know more than was given to him to know by the Lord in the first place. Miss Kinnian believes Charlie is the best candidate for the operation because. PROGRIS RIPORT 1 MARTCH 3-PROGRIS RIPORT 6TH MAR 8. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. A person is also what he is currently exploring, as well as all of the untapped mental faculties of the future and all of the events to happen in the future. After his operation, he hears the college students talking in the cafeteria about arts, politics, and religion. Charlie is fired from the bakery, and realizes that “This intelligence has driven a wedge between me and all the people I knew and loved, driven me out of the bakery. disrespectful attitude toward the disabled to a certain extent. Charlie was going to be institutionalized when he was kicked out of the home, but Uncle Herman spared him from going to the Warren Home. Because of the Warren Home being a sort of “last resort” in his mind, Charlie has always had negative thoughts about it. As Charlie grows more intelligent after At the cocktail party, he “sermonizes” (191) to the crowd, saying that at university, the idols are knowledge, intelligence, and education, but these things aren’t worth anything without love and emotion. Charlie also realizes that emotional intelligence — or emotional maturity — is something that is very important. However, Charlie’s dual perspective he has seen in other people. When he is finally able to make love to Alice, he describes it as a tremendous experience. That frightened me, because for the first time I began to think about what God means” (55). Charlie is initially warmhearted and trusting, When Charlie has regressed to a point that is below where he began, we see the strength of friendship, not only in the friendship that existed between Algernon and Charlie, but also in the friendship that Charlie offers to those around him. I think that Charlie just wants to be accepted, . Charlie is afraid of being lonely in the world, something he more fully realizes when he becomes smarter and thus more aware. He has crossed over onto the other side of the intellectual barrier, and Dr. Strauss has to remind him to write so that other people can understand him. He uses this similar reasoning to justify his visit to the Warren Home. Dr. Strauss tells him that his “intellectual growth will outstrip his emotional growth” (36) and that “the more intelligent [he] becomes the more problems [he’ll] have” (36). Rose’s deceptive desires for Charlie to become smart confused him, making him equate intelligence with friendship, and stupidity with loneliness. Charlie At his loneliest point, in Progress Report 12, Charlie Charlie’s past resurfaces at key The novel's chronological timeline begins March 3 and ends November 21. While some, like Visit BN.com to buy new and used textbooks, and check out our award-winning NOOK tablets and eReaders. outside of himself. However, as Charlie is failing intellectually, he returns to the bakery, and it is these "friends" who welcome him back, having accepted him for who he again is. Before the surgery, these men were Charlie's best friends. And this time we both know it” (97). Flowers for Algernon Themes. consciously wants to treat his new intellectual inferiors as he wishes Science and Technology Relating the story of a mentally impaired man whose intelligence is increased through surgery and then lost, Flowers for Algernon touches on a number of literary themes. He delves into his past to discover himself and his family. allows him to understand that he is as human as anyone else, regardless In effect, Charlie sets up the balance between intelligence and human affection as his new god. Are family members responsible for the mentally ill? man to a genius, he realizes that people have always based their even interpret Charlie’s reaction as his own embodiment of the same Many people, including Charlie, discuss tampering with man's intelligence. his understanding of the present. the boy’s humanity. Love is a counterweight to the hurtling of life towards death. SparkNotes is brought to you by Barnes & Noble. Later, his coworker at the bakery, Fanny Birden, says, “who knows what you done to yourself to get so smart all of a sudden. He says that “Charlie Gordon exists in the past, and past is real. The seasonal interpretation is obvious. his brain and his heart, the extremes represented by Nemur and Fay. Many overt references to this theme run throughout the novel. of someone who has experienced such ridicule firsthand. He says, “Now I can see where I got the unusual motivation to get smart that so amazed everyone at first. What benefits does Charlie receive from being friends with Algernon? . All rights reserved. The difficulties faced by the intelligent person who often lacks good social skills persist even today as "nerds" are made fun of by the "in," crowd and as introverts are often treated as "flawed" because of their more private personalities. his operation, effectively transforming from a mentally retarded He sees “how important physical love was, how necessary it was for us to be in each other’s arms, giving and taking.