Charlie Gordon: the genius who didn"t think things through by marco

Charlie Gordon: the genius who didn"t think things through by marco - April 2014 Scholarship Essay

One of my favorite characters from any book would have to be Charlie Gordon from "Flowers fro Algernon" by Daniel Keyes. Charlie Gordon is a middle aged man who has an unusually low IQ, which made him the perfect test subject for an experiment to increase ones intelligence. Charlie was always a kind and enthusiastic individual who only wanted to be seen as normal by others. he agreed on this procedure so he can have a chance to live a normal life like all those people who looked down on him. After the procedure, his intelligence surpassed that of the very doctors experimenting on him. he left the lab, along with Algernon who was a pre-test subject mouse for the experiment, in order to have a normal life. Unfortunately Algernon begins to suddenly deteriorate and dies; Charlie soon realizes his fate and reflects on his decision he has made with his new life.

He is the most influential character for me because, at one point, I too felt like I was looked down upon. I felt like I was educationally challenged and wanted some miracle to happen to me making me instantly smarter than others. Seeing Charlie go through his journey-through-life made me realize "things that come to you easily leave just as easy" If I wanted to improve I needed to work hard for it and earn it not just wait until it just magically happened.

Charlie struggled through most of his 30+ years of life, and even when he became unbelievably smart things weren't any easier. Much like me, Charlie lost friends, loved ones, struggled to fit in to society and nearly lost sight of his moral in the process. Charlies story allowed me to see the errors in my actions and gave me one last chance to fix it before I lost myself in the desire to "fit in". Charlie realized a little too late that what he wanted wasn't the best thing for him. I managed to change my train-of-thought before losing any more of my dear friends.

Charlie Gordon was a much needed influence for me and my development as a young and vulnerable teen.