The Charlie Gordon and Algernon Impact by Jessa

The Charlie Gordon and Algernon Impact by Jessa - October 2023 Scholarship Essay

Flowers for Algernon was originally a short story written by Daniel Keyes but was later developed into a novel. The short story was first written in 1958 and published for the first time in 1959. The book was later published in 1966. Although the short story and novel share the same central idea and points, the novel goes into much more detail about Charlie's intelligence, relationships, and emotional standpoint. The book has also been adapted into a film called Flowers for Algernon.
Flowers for Algernon is a novel written by Daniel Keyes about a man named Charlie Gordon. Charlie was born with an abnormally low IQ and was a very cheerful but naive man. With an IQ of 68, Charlie was chosen for an experimental procedure intended to increase his IQ. The same operation was performed and highly successful on a lab mouse named Algernon. Algernon had shown extraordinary results, and the experimental procedure was ready to begin on Charlie. Charlie kept a journal for nine months before and after the experiment to document his growth and experiences. Charlie experiences his emotions on much more enhanced levels through love, heartbreak, and loneliness. Algernon was being used to predict the operation's success on a much larger scale for Charlie; However, no problems were initially seen, and Algernon's health started to deteriorate towards the end of the book. Algernon's behavior became more violent and irregular as time went on, and Charlie was able to anticipate his future with uncertainty. Algernon died in the near future, and Charlie began looking at his limited options for his future before he regressed to the point he was unable to do anything for himself. Charlie started to act erratically and became antisocial and violent towards his peers. Charlie was moved to Warren State Home at the novel's end, where he would be cared for.
I was inspired to read Flowers for Algernon as I had seen many people reviewing and recommending it on different social media platforms. After seeing many good reviews and reading the synopsis, I purchased the book and read it myself. To my dismay, I was not disappointed at all. I found myself easily entwined in the book and unable to put it down. Charlie Gordon was a character that could easily be sympathized with and was relatable in some aspects. Charlie's story was heartbreaking because as his intelligence increased, he realized everything was not as it seemed. The part that impacted me the most was undoubtedly when Algernon began deteriorating, and Charlie could predict the same would happen to him. When Charlie started regressing himself, I found myself deeply saddened. It was challenging to think about how his friends felt having to watch Charlie become erratic and return to his original state. Flowers for Algernon is genuinely a heart-wrenching novel and has left me contemplating what it would be like to experience something as complex as that.