Flowers for Algernon Chapters 1-8
How is the novel written?
 First person
Describe the main character?
 Charlie Gordon
 32 years old
 Mentally challenged
 Works at a bakery
 Has been selected to undergo an experiment to raise
intelligence
2a. List five possible struggles he
may face as a retarded adult.
 Discrimination
 Pity
 Lack of identity
 Being too trustworthy
 Being taken advantage of
2b. Describe how you would feel if
your sibling were in the same
position as Charlie.
 Sad
 Jealous
 Angry
2c. Infer three reasons why
Charlie’s family is visibly absent.
 They are dead
 They don’t want anything to do with Charlie
 They don’t know where he is
What kind of test did Burt give
Charlie? What was the result?
 Rorschach Test
 He only saw spilled ink
Describe Miss Kinnian.
 Charlie’s teacher
 Kind
 Supportive of Charlie and his surgery
4a. What did Miss Kinnian tell the
doctors about Charlie?
 He is the best student to participate in the study
because he is the most motivated
4b. What does what Miss Kinnian
tell the doctors reveal about her and
Charlie’s relationship?
 She believes in him
What happened when Charlie
was given the Thematic
Apperception Test?
 He thinks that he is lying when he creates stories
Who is Algernon?
 A mouse who has undergone the same operation
6a. Describe Charlie’s first
meeting with Algernon.
 Charlie and Algernon race
 Charlie is surprised that mice are so smart
 He isn’t mad that Algernon beats him because he
thinks he can learn from him
6b. Predict how Algernon and
Charlie’s relationship will evolve?
What might put a strain on their
relationship?
 They might become friends because they are in similar
situations
 Charlie might be jealous of Algernon
 Competitiveness might put a strain on their
relationship
What was Professor Nemur worried
about with regard to the operation?
 The long term effects
Why did Charlie want to be smart?
 He wanted to read and write for his mom
8a. What might be some of the
downfalls of going from being
mentally retarded to being genius?
 Isolation – mental and emotional
Who is Mr. Donner?
 Charlie’s boss
9a. What is Mr. Donner’s
relationship with Charlie?
 He was friends with Charlie’s uncle and promised to
take care of him
How long after the surgery was it
when Charlie started to see results?
What were they?
 A few days and he corrects his own grammatical
mistakes
THE BIG QUESTION: How and
why might Charlie’s truth
change regarding Algernon as he
gets smarter?
 He might see him as competition as opposed to a
friend