Flowers for Algernon Commentary

Preface

When I read Daniel Keys’ Flowers for Algernon, I did it with a pencil in hand, ruminating on the various passages and underlining sections that particularly stood out to me. Pun intended, I marked what was remarkable, and now I am writing that up here, both for myself to revisit in the future, and to share with others my thoughts.

My edition is the unabridged Mariner Books edition, published by HarperCollins.

Quotes & Commentary

Page 13

I just want to be smart like other pepul so I can have lots of frends who like me.

This is one of the last things Charlie, who currently has an IQ of 68, writes down in his progress report journal before his operation which should make him smart. The child like naivety is both heart warming, to see Charlie so pure in his intentions, and bittersweet, because the path to having lots of friends is not being smart.

Page 15

[…] have a discushen about importent things. While their werking they start talkng about things like about god or about the truble with all the mony the presedint is spending or about repiblicans and demicrats.

Charlie’s coworkers discuss topics which Charlie doesn’t follow or understand, specifically religion and politics. His coworkers are smarter, and they discuss these things at work, so Charlie forms the conclusion that these are the important topics in life, and hopes that his operation and increase in intellect will help him talk like that. What’s interesting is how divisive these topics can be, and how much they can take over the public discourse and create impasses, and even Charlie notices how heated the discussions get, “like their gonna have a fite”. What good would be increased intellect to understand these topics just enough to get into fights about identity?

Page 27

dont go getting so eddicated that you wont talk to your old frends

One narrative style Flowers for Algernon employs is flashbacks as Charlie is getting smarter, remembering past events. Here Charlie remembers on how he learned to read. Specifically he asked his coworker, Joe Carp, on how Joe learned to read, who just laughed and answered “why waste your time they cant put any branes in where there aint none”, but then Fanny jumped in and let Charlie know about an “adult center for retarded pepul a the Beekman collidge”. The sad part about this and previous passages is how clear the kindness Charlie feels from his friends is them all just making fun of him, and there’s an inevitable worry for what will happen when Charlie smartens up and realizes this.

What specifically struck me about this phrase from the book was thinking about what I leave behind as I both got an education in school, and continue my education today. I think of “old friends” in the form of spending way too much time online or playing videogames, and those are things I have been actively leaving behind as I try to develop a deeper life of reading and learning.

Page 33

Only I feel sorry for him because hes all alone and he has no frends. […] I hope he gets a frend and not be so lonely.

This is what Charlie has to say after reading Robinson Crusoe, which is a fairly involved novel. First, it is impressive that Charlie, through great difficulty, is able to read this book. It really adds to his education. Yet again we see what Charlie, who is gradually growing smarter, still heavily values: friendship.

Page 47

The more intelligent you become the more problems you’ll have, Charlie.

I find it a bit sad that intelligence isn’t correlated with happiness or having less problems. Again I am drawn to the work naive, where a naive thought is, well, being smarter means you have the means to solve more problems, so you’ll have less problems. What’s missing is you’ll just have more complicated problems, as well as now be aware of problems you were blissfully ignorant of before.

Page 58

The same words, almost the same tone of voice he has used minutes ago in the lab. And then I heard my answers–childish, impossible things.

Charlie is an unreliable narrator or his memory has issues, especially the earlier progress reports. What else was misremembered so far in the narrative?

Page 59

Maybe it would be better if I could keep some of these reports private for a while. I’m going to as Dr. Strauss. Why should it suddenly start to bother me?

This to me sounds like the classic Judeo-Christian story of Eve, and the forbidden fruit of knowledge. Just like she and Adam suddenly became shy and aware of their nudity, and covered up, so does Charlie start to feel percieved and shy and wants to hide his private thoughts.

Page 67

The rotten thing is that all the pleasure is gone because the others resent me. In a way, I can’t blame them. They don’t understand what has happened to me, and I can’t tell them. People are not proud of me the way I expected–not at all.

All the pleasure is gone from Charlie working at the bakery. This is tragic because the bakery has been not only Charlie’s job, but effectively his home and community for a large part of his life. The people who Charlie so looked up to and so craved love from are not good people, and instead of being happy for Charlie, they resent that their plaything to make fun of isn’t fun to play with anymore.

Page 78

“Ordinary people,” she said, “can see only a litle bit. They can’t change much or go any higher than they are, but you’re a genius. You’ll keep going up and up, and see more and more. And each step will reveal worlds you never even knew existed.”

Here, Alice Kinnian, is awestruck by the progress her former student, Charlie, is making. She has been a true friend to him, and is ecstatic by his progress.

This passage hints at a reason to either teach, or contribute to humanity’s collection of knowledge. As an ordinary person, I can only see a little bit, but potentially by teaching someone else or contributing a key finding somewhere I can help others continue going up and up, seeing more and more.

Finally, one of the greatest joys I have had from reading, studying, and learning has been the worlds that have been revealed to me. I am excited to one day experience those I don’t even know exist.

Page 82

One of the things that confuses me is never really knowing when something comes up from my past, whether it really happened that way, or if that was the way it seemed to be at the time, or if I’m inventing it.

Two things stood out to me here. The first is the whole idea of an unreliable narrator. If Charlie cannot trust his own recollection, how can the reader?

The second is the fallibility of human memory. Specifically the 2002 research study titled A picture is worth a thousand lies: using false photographs to create false childhood memories where researches showed participants a doctored photograph of them having a hot air balloon ride. Half the subjects created some sort of false memories associated with the event.

How much of our memories are accurate recollections of the past, biased recollections of the past, or even made up plausible “recollections”?

Page 85

But even as I write these words, something inside shouts that there is more. I’m a person. I was somebody before I went under the surgeon’s knife. And I have to love someone.

What does it mean to be human? No matter how cold, logical, and intellectual one makes their life, there is a core of friendships, relationships, and a desire to love and be loved in all of us. Following Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, that love and belonging is needed to reach one’s full potential.

Charlie also recognizes the humanity of himself, both pre and post operation.