How Does Charlie Lose In Flowers For Algernon

If anyone could gain extreme knowledge, even for a small period, that would open their eyes to reality, would it not be reasonable? On the other hand, wouldn’t that make every passing minute filled with intellect worth the hardship and pain that would eventually follow? To tell the truth, some may think that in the end Charlie gained little for how much he lost, but sometimes, the little we gain in life is of much more importance than what it may seem that in the end we lose. In the short story “Flowers for Algernon” written by Daniel Keyes, considered Science fiction, the main character Charlie has Down's syndrome and is selected to have a surgery on his brain to make him smarter. Throughout the book he writes progress reports that show how he progresses after his operation. For a little while, Charlie’s IQ has skyrocketed and he is trying to learn as much as he can about himself and the operation. Through Charlie’s …show more content…
Charlie was often bullied and used by his co-workers who he thought were his friends. Before the surgery Charlie was very ignorant and had one minded thinking. He was made fun of because of his disability and laughed at for his incompetence to understand simple things. Following the surgery, Charlie finally realized and understood why they would laugh at him and that they weren’t his real friends. Hence he learned to stick up for himself and others like him. This passage shows how Charlie sticks up for another kid with a disability, “Leave him alone! It’s not his fault he can’t understand!” (215) As a result of the surgery, Charlie figured out who he could trust, who his real friends were and who he really was. Even though some may say that “ignorance is bliss”, it was the ignorance that drove him to want something better for himself and see things as they really were. By being one minded he wanted to still know more and understand but couldn’t, so would that be