Flowers
for
Algernon
NAME:
Flowers for Algernon is a science fiction short story and subsequent novel written by Daniel
Keyes. The short story, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of The
Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960. The
novel was published in 1966 and was joint winner of that year's Nebula Award for Best Novel
(with Babel-17).
The titular Algernon is a laboratory mouse who has undergone surgery to increase his
intelligence by artificial means. The story is told as a series of progress reports written by
Charlie, the first human test subject for the surgery, and touches upon many different ethical
and moral themes such as the treatment of the mentally disabled.
Although the book has often been challenged for removal from libraries in the US and Canada,
sometimes successfully, it is regularly taught in schools around the world and has been adapted
numerous times for television, theatre, radio and as the Academy Award-winning film Charly.
The ideas for Flowers for Algernon developed over a period of 14 years and were inspired by
numerous different events in Keyes' life, starting in 1945 with Keyes' personal conflict with his
parents who were pushing him through a pre-medical education in spite of his own desire to
pursue a writing career. Keyes felt that his education was driving a wedge between him and his
parents and this led him to wonder what would happen if it were possible to increase a person’s
intelligence. Another key moment came in 1957, while Keyes was teaching English to students
with special needs; one student asked him if it would be possible to be put into a regular class if
he worked hard and became smart.
Different characters in the book were also based on events and people in Keyes' life. The
character of Algernon was inspired by a university dissection class, while the name came from
the poet Algernon Charles Swinburne which Keyes thought was an unusual name. Nemur and
Strauss, the scientists who develop the intelligence enhancing surgery in the story, were based
on professors Keyes met while studying psychoanalysis in graduate school.
In 1958, Keyes was approached by Galaxy Science Fiction magazine to write a story, at which
point the different elements of Flowers for Algernon fell into place. On submitting the finished
story to Galaxy, however, the editor suggested changing the ending so that Charlie retained his
intelligence, married Alice, and lived happily ever after. Keyes refused to make the change and
sold the story to The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction instead.
Keyes worked on the expanded novel between 1962 and 1965 and first tried to sell it to
Doubleday, but they also wanted to change the ending. Again, Keyes refused and gave
Doubleday back their advance. Five different publishers rejected the story over the course of a
year until it was taken on and published by Harcourt in 1966.
Reading Assignment
Day #1: Read pages 5-22 from Top Ten Stories, and complete Part 1 questions.
Day #2: Read pages 22-36 from Top Ten Stories, and complete Part 2 questions.
Short Answer (Part 1)
1. Why is Charlie chosen for the operation?
2. Why does Charlie believe he failed the Rorschach test?
3. Define "pull a Charlie”.
4. Does Charlie understand commas at first? How do you know?
5. Why is Miss Kinnian worried on April 15?
6. Is it better that Charlie doesn't know all that Miss Kinnian does on April 15? Why or why
not?
7. Why is Charlie ashamed on April 20?
8. Did the man act differently when giving the second Rorschach test?
9. What is the conflict between the doctors on April 27?
10. What does Charlie think of Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss on May 15? Be specific.
Short Answer (Part 2)
11. What is Charlie's IQ in the beginning of the story?
12. Why does Charlie go to Miss Kinnian's class?
13. What does Charlie see the first time he is given the Rorschach Test?
14. Why is Charlie chosen for the experiment?
15. Before the operation, what does Charlie think of Joe Carp and Frank Reilly? How do they
treat him?
16. What does it mean to "do a Charlie Gordon"?
17. What are the differences between the two doctors?
18. How can the reader tell that Charlie is getting smarter after the operation?
19. Explain Charlie's feeling toward Algernon before and after the operation.
20. What is the significance of Charlie' second outing with Joe and Frank?
21. Why does Charlie lose his job?
22. How do Charlie's feelings toward Miss Kinnian change throughout the story?
23. How do Charlie's feelings toward the doctors change after the operation?
24. Why was Charlie upset about the incident with the dishwasher?
25. What is the Algernon-Gordon Effect?
26. What does Charlie do when he realizes he will lose his intelligence?
27. When Charlie returns to the factory, how do his co-workers react?
28. How does Miss Kinnian react when Charlie returns to night school? Why?
29. Who does Charlie blame for his loss of intelligence? Why?
30. How does Charlie's personality change once he becomes a genius?
31. Give two examples of how foreshadowing is used in this story. How do Charlie's progress
reports change after the operation?
IQ Tests and “Flowers for Algernon”
Modern intelligence tests are based largely on the work of Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon
who created a test in 1905 called the Binet-Simon Intelligence Scale. They worked with public
school children and mentally challenged children at a local hospital, trying to establish criteria
for average physical and mental abilities.
They created a test to assign children to appropriate class groups and to predict their abilities in
the classroom. The test was composed of questions and activities ranging from easy to
difficult. A child was first asked questions designed for someone his or her age or
younger. The tester asked increasingly difficult questions until the child could no longer answer
them; that level was considered the child's mental age.
The term Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is used to describe the results of intelligence testing. The
average IQ score is 100. Mentally challenged people like Charlie usually score below 70. Over
the years, people have criticized IQ tests for different reasons. Some people doubt that the
tests are meaningful or challenging to all people because of cultural differences. Others argue
that some people are intelligent in some areas but less so in others and tests cannot possibly
measure all the different qualities of intelligence. Today, psychologists favor tests that measure
special abilities and personality.
32. Do you think we should pursue artificial intelligence as shown in the Algernon and Charlie
experiment? Why or why not?
33. Was Charlie happier when he became smarter? Explain your answer.
34. Why might IQ tests be helpful?
35. Why might IQ tests be harmful?