Flowers for Algernon Quotes

While the surfing the web to find additional information about Flowers for Algernon, I stumbled upon this blog that published different quotes from throughout the book. One that really stood out to me was about life. It reads, “That's the thing about human life--there is no control group, no way to ever know how any of us would have turned out if any variables had been changed.” I just find it interesting how Charlie is able to realize the truth behind the statement "once in a lifetime" not only in his mentally handicapped state but after he has undergone the operation as well. Charlie from the very beginning expresses how he is okay to do the operation even though it may not work. He wants the possibility of intelligence, to have the chance to be smart. He understands that opportunities like this don't come every day and that this one is his only shot. There is no way to be certain about what will happen, but he is willing to take the leap either way. He explains this in the quote by essentially saying it is not possible to see how different life would have been because one cannot change decisions after they have already been made. It's important to try even if it results in failure. Check out the rest of the quotes at this link,Flowers for Algernon Quotes. I think each one has it's own life lesson engraved in it, much like the book they originate from. Tell me which one is your favorite!

Professor Nemur vs. Dr. Strauss

I am surprised by the fact that Dr. Strauss and Professor Nemur had such different reactions to Charlie's dilemma  about catching Gimpy stealing. Nemur seemed completely removed from the situation when he advised Charlie to not, "become involved in what would be an unpleasant situation" because he was, "an innocent bystander". Strauss, however, expressed strong sentiments about how Charlie, "was morally obligated to tell Mr. Donner". These two have very conflicting opinions about something that is small when compared to the work they engage in at the lab. A debate about the morality of cheating is infinitesimal if brought against the ethics behind a procedure to make a handicapped man smarter. I feel like Profesor Nemur has no concern about the consequences behind an action, which is shown by his carelessness here and when he wants to publish the work about Charlie before they are certain of the results. Dr. Strauss, on the other hand, has strong ideals about morality and reliability. I sense that he is very sure about the way things should happen. I wonder how their two contrasting personalities are able to perform such extensive research and began a project together. This just really bothers me. I am appalled by Professor Nemur's nonchalant attitude to ignore the problem and the fact that Dr. Strauss is able to tolerate Nemur if he preaches about moral obligations. How do you all feel about their work relationship, is it poisonous or profittable? 

Flowers for Algernon was adapted into a movie in 1968. I can not find a trailer because I assume they did not make them at the time, but you can find information on it at IMDb. I am not sure if it is as good as the book because I find that most of the original's enjoyability comes from Charlie's narration. The film won an Oscar, though, so I'm definitely going to give it a try after I 'm finished reading the book. A dvd version of the film is available for purchase on amazon, and probably for rent on netflix. Is anyone else interested in seeing the movie?

As we read on in Flowers for Algernon, it find it quite interesting to see Charlie's development mentally and emotionally. It's quite extraordinary to see the memories that Charlie remembers from different periods in his childhood. For example, when he remembered how his childhood 'friend' rewrote Charlie's Valentines Day letter to a girl to make it insulting to her to the point were he had to switch schools. Or how in just about a day, he managed to grab the concept of grammar for his next progress report had almost perfect punctuation. Charlie's advances intellectually make me wonder whether this could happen in real life or if this is currently happening. Yet, we wouldn't be able to find out that information for the experiment done on Charlie I believe is illegal. Another interesting thing I picked up while reading was Charlie's development emotionally. Based off his progress intellectually, he has become more aware of everything that happens to and around him. He finally realizes that his 'friends' are mocking him when he previous thought they were laughing with him which leads for him to discover embarrassment. His ability to now challenge new assumptions has brought on confusion to him, but he understands that his mental handicap made it easier for his 'friends' to mock him later on. He is beginning to see just how complex and amazing the world around him really is and that is quite amazing. What do you guys think?

I've started reading Flowers for Algernon and so far I really like it.  Daniel Keyes uses the first person narrative really well when characterizing the protagonist, Charlie, and describing how he sees the world around him. What really stuck out to me was Charlie's reaction to being made fun of by the people he considers his friends: "Amos Borg who is the 4 man at Donnegans used my name when he lost a packige. He said Ernie for godsake what are you trying to be a Charlie Gordon." Keyes is able to both inform the reader of people's mistreatment of Charlie and convey the fact that Charlie himself cannot perceive that his "friends" are making fun of him. All he notices is that people laugh at what his "friends" say, so he keeps quiet about his confusion: "I dont understand why he said that. I never lost any packages." This must have been especially hard to do because Keyes had to stick to Charlie's simplistic writing style. I wonder how Charlie will react to his coworker's insults when his IQ is raised by the operation. I hope that he will call his coworkers out on their mistreatment of him because their behavior towards someone who trusts them so much is unacceptable.