Flowers For Algernon Theme

Short story Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes gives the opportunity for many different themes. Even if I have only chosen one, ‘ Too much of anything is not good for anybody’ that does not mean that it is the only one that I can see throughout the story. Though I do find it to be the best represented. As the story starts out we see that the main character Charlie is obviously not very intelligent. Some might interpret this to mean that he is not very happy, but he is actually very enthusiastic about everything in his life and everything it has to offer. This is specifically shown when he is chosen to participate in an expirement/surgery that could potentially triple his intelligence. After Charlie goes through the surgery he starts getting tested on his intelligence level. Because he is only in the beginning process he starts to becoming frustrated at constantly failing these and feeling stupid. As the story progresses he starts to gain intelligence at a un humanly rate and have much more knowledge than anyone around him. During
this process he starts to realize that maybe his friends aren’t as kind and/or loyal to him as he had originally thought. This makes it hard for him to communicate with his past friends and teacher. “This intelligence has driven a wedge between all the people I once knew and loved.” (Flowers For Algernon, pg.205)

Finally as the story starts coming to an end, the new found intelligence becomes too much for his co workers to handle, causing him to lose his job at the factory.At a point he starts to question if the work that has been done him is completely secure and if the doctors are completely certain about their work.
“Contrary to my earlier impression of him, Dr.Nemur is not a genius at all.”(Flowers For Algernon, pg. 206) Going through what he has found on the procedure , he discovers that his mind is not there to stay, and neither might he be. “His brain had decreased in weight and there was a general smoothing out of cebeal convolution as as a deepening and broadening of brain fissures. I guess the same thing is or will be soon happening to me.” (Flowers For Algernon, pg. 211). As he realizes this he soon becomes depressed. Realizing that the thing he once longed for so much had became the one thing that pulled his life
apart.

Though this is my take on the theme, some do not completely agree. In their perspective Charlie learning about his friends not being completely loyal to him is something that helped them. Another that could be said is that it was good for him to have the intelligence that he had always wanted, even if it didn’t last. Even if I can say that I see where those who think this are coming from, I can say that I believe much more that he was better off with some friends, a job, and a happy life, even if he wasn’t completely aware of everything in it. In conclusion, no matter what perspective you look at the story from, it is clear that the theme ‘ Too much of anything isn’t good for anyone’ appears throughout the text. It is also clear that from Charlie’s intelligence he seems to lose everything from his friends, job, home, and mind he ever had.