How Did Charlie Gordon Effect Flowers For Algernon

The Algernon-Gordon Effect

The reputation of Daniel Keyes is a result of "Flowers For Algernon.” In 1959, Keyes won the Hugo Award for best short story. The version of the novel also received The Nebula Award of the Science Fiction Writers of America in 1966, for the best novel. As a reader of this short story, one could be overwhelmed with anticipation and emotion. Keyes enhances the story with the use of the progress reports and the first person point of view. The progress reports used in "Flowers for Algernon" make the story easier to follow and read Charlie's progress as well as his thoughts. Starting on March 5, 1965, Charlie Gordon writes these progress reports on a regular basis and continues writing them until the end of the story on July 27, 1965. Each entry is dated, this allows the reader keep track of the progression of the story. Sometimes these entries are made daily, and sometimes not so often. This gives the reader a feeling of the pace at which things are happening. On March 5, 1965 Charlie is thirty-seven years old and first hears about how they (Dr. Strauss and Nemur) can maybe make him smart, if he is chosen. A
sample from his first entry is as follows; "Mr. Strauss says I shud rite down what I think and evrey thing that happins to me from now on." The reader can see, as a result of the progress report, exactly how bad Charlie's spelling and grammar really is. Illustrations such as this are used throughout the short story by Keyes. On March 8 Charlie is told that they are going to use him for the experiment. "Im so exited I can hardly write." Charlie says. The journal reads; "Dr. Strauss says I had a good motor-vation. Algernons (the mouse) motor-vation is the cheese they put in his box. But it cant be that because I didn't eat any cheese this week." This first person point of view obviously tells the reader that at this time (March 8) Charlie doesn't have a clue about anything. On April 6, 1965 Charlie shows sign of improvement. "I beat Algernon!" The journal entry read. Algernon had previously had the same experimental operation that Charlie had received on March 10,1965. This operation was estimated to increase one’s I.Q. level by three times. Charlie originally had an I.Q. level of sixty-eight. The potential for his I.Q. now would be over two hundred. The near future for Charlie would be one of change. The first thing he realizes is the people he once thought, as his friends are not. Joe and Frank, his “friends” from work, were parts of a petition to run Charlie out of the factory. “Before, they laughed at me and despised me for my ignorance and dullness; now, they hate me for my knowledge and understanding.” Keyes illustrates Charlie’s improved writing and grammar skills. May 15,1965 Charlie Gordon is making an infinite amount of progress. His intelligence level at this time has surpassed that of his doctors. He judges Dr. Nemur, “He has a very good mind, but it struggles under the spectre of self-doubt.” At this point it’s time for me to pull out the dictionary to comprehend Charlie’s vocabulary. Charlie now knows many different languages, studies mathematics beyond calculus. He truly is becoming a genius. The exploration of improving the human mind is going as planned. However, on May 23, Algernon starts changing. He starts the suspected regression from the improved intelligence. With time running out Charlie starts on a project which he eventually will call The Algernon Gordon Effect. With the vast amount of knowledge Charlie has acquired he hopes to find the reason for Algernon’s downward spiral and consequently prevent this from happening to himself. Charlie concludes that it is inevitable, his regression will begin soon and there is no way to stop it. On June 10, 1965 the regression has begun, "Deterioration progressing.
I have become absent minded, Algernon died two days ago. Dissection shows my predictions were right. His brain had decreased in weight and there was a general smoothing out of cerebral convolutions as well as a deepening and broadening of brain fissures." Charlie Gordon-Neurosurgeon. The results of the dissection were consistent with those of the report. The same thing has started with Charlie's brain. His emotions over the next few entries are very powerful. The reader can sense emotion and in fact becomes emotional him/herself. It is almost as if it were happening to the reader. A month and a half later, Charlie is bad. Keyes has taken the reader through ten journal entries, and what seems equivalent to a personal
tragedy. July 27, 1965 Charlie gets his old job back at the factory cleaning toilets. The job he had when he was happy with himself and the people around him. The job he had before he was smart, before he became critical of himself and of everything around him. The problem now for Charlie is that now he can relate to how unintelligent he has become again. The real reason he makes so many of his "friends" laugh. The next day he forgot that he did not go to school anymore. He showed up at Miss Kinnian's class at the adult center only to realize that he had pulled a "Charlie Gordon." Perhaps this was the straw that broke Charlie's back. He decides that he is going to move from New York, to go where no one knows or feels sorry for him and where no one knows he was once a genius and now can hardly read a book. Charlie wanted no empathy from anyone. "I don’t know why Im dumb agen or what I did wrong maybe its because I dint try hard enuff." The author illustrates the return of the original Charlie Gordon, the grammar nightmare. Never have I read a story that was so easy to follow. I could just sit back and enjoy the work that Keyes had done. The anticipation and emotion in this story leaves the reader wanting more. Keyes enhanced the story with the use of the progress reports and the first person point of view. Perhaps one day we will find out about the dangers, if any, of trying to improve the human mind.