Charlie Gordon's Charlie: A Character Analysis Of Charlie

“I reread my paper on the ‘Algernon-Gordon Effect’ and I get the strange feeling it was written by someone else. There are parts even I do not understand” (337). Charlie becomes upset, as his own piece of work he was so proud of, cannot even be understood by the man who had made it; that being himself. Charlie knew he could not read it, which made him understand more about the operation and what it had done to him. The loss in his intelligence also removed some important memories. Charlie went for a walk one night to clear his head, bur as he started to walk back, he could not remember where he lived! Because Charlie could not remember, it caused a big jump in his deterioration, from forgetting grammar skills, to forgetting where he lived. Charlie starts to have mood swings when he could not do previous things that made him happy, like read. Charlie’s mood constantly switches between Neutral, to Angry, to Sad, and repeat. Charlie cannot grasp any one of those emotions to even save his own life, since they are running wild. All other factors mentioned indicate that before the operation, Charlie’s life was amazing.

“I said Miss Kinnian never gave me tests like that one only spelling and reading. They said Miss Kinnian told that I was her bestist pupil in the adult nite scool becaus I tryed the hardist and I reely wantid to lern” -Charlie. Concluding that if you could feel smarter than you are now, would you. That's what Charlie feels like until he has an operation that makes him smart. The theme of this story I think is that people change over time. Like charlie changes throughout the story. In the story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes Charlie patarys the theme that people changed overtime.

Charlie like Miss D were not helpless and Charlie had his own job and went to night school, but he was never able to do overly complicated things and was made fun of may times by what he thought were his friends. Like Miss D charlie was given the chance to undergo a experimental surgery to increase his intelligence to be like his peers he went through with it and just like Miss D he stared with no noticeable effects though a couple of weeks of learning charlie slowly became more and more like his friends but instead of stopping there he went further and further were there seemed to be no bounds. He became a genius in I.Q but was still naive about some things he was fired from his old job but started working for the clinic that gave him his Intelligence. He was doing great and was expanding his reach but eventually he stopped learning so much and progress slowed to a stop, and began to fall backwards like a ball throw in the air falls back down. Charlie desperately wanted to stay smart and like Miss D

In the short story “Flowers for Algernon,” Daniel Keyes leaves the reader saddened, stunned and ultimately forming questions. Keyes also highlights several characters, a particular character is a mentally disabled janitor named Charlie Gordon. He has a sixty-eight IQ, works at a paper factory in New York, and is oblivious to his surroundings. Gordon’s deepest desire is to increase his intelligence by doing an operation that has only been done on a mouse, whose name is Algernon. Soon after the operation is done, Gordon starts becoming a super-genius with more knowledge than most doctors. He understands elaborate mathematical equations and can read and write at an age beyond his years. However, his increased intelligence starts to “ware off,” Gordon starts losing huge chunks of intelligence, he is unmotivated and is overall ashamed. His three stages which include his wanting to be the one for the operation, his super genius self, and his deteriorating self-are important in Charlie Gordon’s character development.

“Eagar, Determined, and Motivated:” these three words describe Charlie Gordon in Daniel Keyes’s story “Flowers for Algernon”. Daniel Keyes writes about a thirty two year old man with a low IQ (Charlie Gordon) who strives to become “normal”. Charlie will do anything to become smarter even letting two doctors preform brain surgery to enhance his learning capability. Charlie evolves throughout the novel and by the end of his journey although his IQ is low he is a more complete person. He learns the true meaning of friendship and demonstrates intellectual growth as a person by overcoming obstacles and understanding various lessons.

Although he got to experience emotions, the surgery Charlie Gordon had worsened his quality of life because he realized his friends were making fun of him, he could no longer conversate, and he became depressed.

Imagine you never went to school and your mother didn’t want you. Your 37 and mentally challenged, You have your own house, you have lots of friends and a job. All the people at work love you, you have everything you want. Since your mentally challenged you have to go back to school but it’s a school for mentally challenged. People at school want to do surgery on your brain. Charlie is better before the surgery because he had friends and made no one mad. His mother did not like him but he had more people to look up to.

Now I know what it means “to pull a Charlie Gordon.’’ I’m ashamed.” (Keyes201). He always saw everyone as being his friend and everyone seeing him as an equal. At this moment he saw how people really saw him. For the first time in his life he saw his “friends” for what they really are. Even when Charlie became smart he started to be like everyone else, “I felt sick inside as I looked at his dull, vacuous smile, the wide, bright eyes of a child, uncertain but eager to please. They were laughing at him because he was mentally retarded, and I had been laughing at him too.” (Keyes207). He had been just like that boy once, and now he’s just like everyone who was laughing at him. He realized that he was becoming like the people who once laughed at him. This opened his eyes to how the world will treat people. It was worth the surgery because he got to experience the other side of

He is functional, but moderately mentally disabled. Charlies main goal is to learn so he can be smart like everyone else. When he was suggested by his teacher for an operation that could make him smarter, he got excited because he actually had a chance. Before the surgery Charlie is completely innocent. Being innocent is defined as simple and naive. He has no experience because he has been under circumstances that did not allow him. He is a generally happy person that values companionship. Charlie sees the good in everybody and is nice to all, even when some are not particularly nice to him. Before the surgery Charlie is very ignorant to the jokes and slurs his “friends” express to him. He always enjoys going to work to see his friends because he likes how they joke around and laugh with him.

Could you imagine what it would be like to become what you’ve always wanted to be? Or to have your I.Q be tripled? In the Science Fiction story, “Flowers for Algernon” written by Daniel Keyes, a 37 year old man named Charlie Gordon, whose mind is impaired, undergoes a surgery to triple his I.Q. After the surgery, Charlie Gordon’s life became much better for him. Charlie was able to make true friends, along with that he felt emotions, but most importantly, he was able to see the world through a different a different perspective.

One of the reasons Charlie is better off after the experiment is because he becomes more self-aware. One part of the story that shows this is when Charlie goes to a party with his friends Joe and Frank, and everyone laughs at Charlie trying to dance. Charlie is now smart enough from the experiment to realize Joe and Frank just keeps him around for some entertainment, and not as real friends, so now he knows “what it means when they say ‘to pull a Charlie Gordon’” (7). Here, Charlie is benefiting from the surgery because he is now intelligent enough to be able to tell whether he has real friends or not. He realizes that they are just making fun of him, because he knows he used to be very unintelligent, which is why they say he can pull a Charlie Gordon. Now, Charlie can be more aware of who he chooses to be with, and know whether or not they are actually caring of him. He has become more self-aware in his choice of friends, and by doing so, improve his emotional situation. Another

Do you think Charlie Gordon’s life improved or worsened? Thirty- two year old named Charlie Gordon. His life worsened in many different ways in the story. In flowers for Algernon there is a surgery to improve your intelligence tremendously. Charlie Gordon is the first person to try it because he doesn’t know how to spell much nor write. The only thing he didn’t think through was he was the very first one to get this surgery and anything can go wrong, but feels if he gets surgery and gets more intelligent it will improve his life.

Throughout the novel Charlie’s personality and intelligence level changes a lot. In the beginning Charlie is happy, has friends, he’s retarded, and can’t remember a lot of things. “I fergot his last name because I dont remebir so good.” (Keyes 2),

Charlie Gordon is a man that takes night school so he can be smart.But he has trouble on the way of trying to be smart.Then most of the time he is not treated fairly by people.

At some point in our lives we wish we were someone else or want something to change about ourselves. All Charlie Gordon wants to change about himself is his brainpower. Daily Charlie saw himself as intellectual, yet while others feel bad about themselves because they will never be able to change what they dislike about themselves Charlie does everything he possibly can to progress. All Charlie wants is to change and sometimes that is all we hope for, however change isn't always for the best. After Charlie's procedure he begins to change and discover a person inside of him. As Charlie became more aware of the world around him he changed. What he once thought to be a kindhearted world with a positive future turned into a world of disappointment and disorientation. Charlie wasn't meant to change and it took a