Flowers for Algernon Essay

Many people have experiences in the past, that when a lot of time has passed, it keeps involving in their lives. The book Flowers for Algernon discusses many things, and one of them is, that the past will always be a part of who we are. Daniel Keyes argues this by many ways. One way, is that, when Charlie has dreams, it reminds him about his past. Another way, is by making the old Charlie appear staring at him, finally, he also shows it by making Charlie not getting rid of the old Charlie. When Charlie has dreams, it reminds him about his past. For example, Charlie doesn’t remember the name of their parents and how they were, but a dream helps him remember their names, and later on, he will know how they are. “Suddenly, I remember that her name was Rose and his name is Matt. It’s odd to have forgotten your parents’ names” (75). Charlie later on, has another dream which helps him know his mother better, and that also affects him in the future. “a woman bathing… a girls… Norma taking a bath… I am watching through the keyhole… and when she gets up to dry herself I see her body different than mine. Something is missing. Running down the hall way… Somebody chasing me… not a person… just a big flashing kitchen knife…” (84). By having this dream, Charlie understands more, what is he afraid of and why. His mother made him understand that he could never get close to a girl, by making this type of consequences. When Charlie is having these dreams of the past, he is trying to move on from them when he is with a girl, but he can’t. “When I touched her shoulder she stiffened and trembled, but I pulled her toward me. […] Hey! … did you see him?” (100). This is an example of Charlie panicking when he is close to a girl, and about to have sexual contact with her. These are examples of how Charlie can’t get rid of his past. Another way the author shows this is by making the old Charlie appear watching him, staring at him. This symbolizes that between the old Charlie and