Connor O’Brien
Dear Mrs. Geurin,
I read the book Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. This book was about a man
named Charlie Gordon who is 37 years old and is mentally retarded. This is a condition he must
face every day of his life. He undergoes a science experiment that will make him smarter and
able to remember things. He has a teacher named Ms. Kinnian who helps him. He experiments
with a mouse named Algernon who also underwent the experiment.
The best parts of the book I thought were when Charlie started to be able to write with
punctuation and when he started to read and remember things, when he took Ms. Kinnian out to
dinner, and when Charlie predicted correctly what was wrong with Algernon. I thought these
were the best parts of the book because they were memorable moments for Charlie because he
went from being a mentally retarded 37 year old adult to having more knowledge than the
scientist who experimented on him. After the experiment he was able to remember everything he
read. I thought when he took Ms. Kinnian out to dinner was one of the best parts because it was
first time he has ever interacted with people outside of work and at the lab. I thought one of the
worst parts was when Algernon started to act different. Algernon who was this nice mouse and
who Charlie considered to be a friend of his bit him. Charlie visited the lab to see him as he does
occasionally and when he went to take Algernon out of the cage he snapped at his hand. Charlie
knew this was unusual. Algernon had received the same treatment as Charlie and this got Charlie
scared because now that Algernon was acting different people didn’t know what was going to
happen to Charlie. I thought this was one of the worst parts in the book because it was a sad part
because Algernon ended up dying. I also thought another worst part was when Charlie started to
experience the same symptoms as Algernon. Charlie began to notice signs of emotional
instability and forgetfulness. This was a very sad part in the book because Charlie who was
mentally retarded turned into a genius and was now going back to being mentally retarded.
I think the most important word in the book was intelligent because that was the goal for
the experiment done on Charlie and that’s what Charlie strives for, to be more intelligent. The
people at the factory where Charlie worked didn’t think he should get the operation to make him
smarter. “What’s wrong with a man becoming intelligent and wanting to acquire knowledge and
understanding of the world around him?” (37). This word comes up a lot in the book because that
was Charlie is striving for and that was the main goal of the operation, to make Charlie
intelligent.
The most important passage from the book was when the operation happened. Charlie
was used as an experiment to go from being mentally retarded to becoming extremely intelligent.
Charlie went through a series of tests before he was chosen to be the one experimented with. He
had to identify and ink blot and just say what he saw when he looked at it. He also had to write
progress reports weekly for the scientist to see how his writing ability was coming along. When
he would go to the lab he would also compete in a race against Algernon, a mouse that also had
this operation done to him.
The most important event occurred after the operation. It was when Charlie performed
the race against Algernon like he always does when he goes to the lab. “I beat Algernon!” (22).
Algernon would usually beat him but this time Charlie won. This was good news for everybody
because this was a sign that the operation that Charlie had was working. This made the scientists
happy. Charlie didn’t even know he beat Algernon until afterwards when Dr. Strauss told him.
What made me wonder was why the operation only worked for a short period of time.
Why didn’t it work? Charlie was able to absorb a lot of knowledge while the operation lasted. He
was able to write perfectly and remember everything he read. Charlie wanted to figure out why
Algernon was acting different lately and he found out. “The unforeseen development, which I
have taken the liberty of calling the Algernon-Gordon Effect, is the logical extension of the
entire intelligence speed-up” (49). What also made me wonder was if anything like this (the
operation) would ever be possible to perform on someone. The idea of this being possible maybe
me wonder because if it ever was there would be a lot less mentally retarded people in the world
and there would be many more geniuses.
Some parts that seemed most believable in this book were, well, not really anything in
this book seemed believable. Yeah, the operation in general made wonder if that will ever be
possible but I doubt it. I find how after Charlie has the operation done he is able to remember
anything he reads and is able to do years of science work in a week to be very unbelievable. I
also find how the operation would work on the mouse to very unbelievable. I find these parts and
the whole operation to unbelievable because you can’t just turn a mentally retarded person into a
genius by performing an operation. Even though this book seemed completely unbelievable it
was still interesting to read and it got your mind thinking and wondering.
In this book, author Daniel Keyes, through love and humor of Charlie Gordon, challenges
us to consider life of the mentally retarded. He wants us to not discriminate and not make fun of
people with disabilities. With the illustrations by Etienne Delessert, this book will open your
mind to questions and attitudes that are very real.
A burning issue dealt with in this book was after the operation on Charlie people start to
look at him differently, treat him differently and start to ignore him. When Charlie returns to his
job after the operation was, performed people he use to consider friends wouldn’t talk to him. He
became an outcast at the factory he worked at. “I’ve quit my job with Donnegan’s Plastic Box
Company” (36). Charlie ended up quitting because “eight hundred and forty names, everyone
connected to the factory, except Fanny Girden” (36). “Mr. Donnegan insisted that it would be
better for all concerned if I left” (36). No one would talk to him about the petition except Fanny.
She said that no one at the factory thinks Charlie should have gotten the operation. Even the
professors started to look at him differently.
I think the title fits the book well. I think it fits the book because after Algernon dies
Charlie brings flowers to where he buried him in his backyard about once a week. His landlady
Mrs. Flynn thinks he’s crazy to put flowers on a mouse’s grave but he told her that Algernon was
special. In his last progress report he says good bye to Miss Kinnian and at the end he says “P.S.
please if you get a chance put some flowers on Algernon’s grave in the back yard” (60).
I did like how the book ended because it explained the title very good, Flowers for
Algernon. But at the end of the book in Charlie’s last progress report he says good bye to Miss
Kinnian and it says if she gets a chance to put some flowers on Algernon’s grave in the back
yard and it just ends on that sentence, so you don’t know if Charlie died or not you just have to
assume so by what he says in his progress report. But I like those kinds of endings in books that
make you question things and make you wonder, it makes the book more interesting and
suspenseful.
In conclusion I did find this book to be interesting even though it was unbelievable. It
made you wonder and consider the life of the mentally retarded. The pictures in the book are
very good and help you understand about what the author is talking about. Also in the pictures of
Charlie, he is showing an emotion on his face and this helps you understand how he is feeling. I
would recommend this book to anyone.