Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes (1959)

Brutal.

I had a wet face within the first five minutes and the ending made me sob. The middle of the story contrasts the cold self-importance of intellect with the warm, naive hope at either end, connecting them only through a shared suffering.

The attitudes of those helping Charlie and his own estranged view of his former self only mildly exaggerate our tendency to diminish the personhood of less intelligent people. His anguish and desperation to hold on to his cognitive abilities are a harrowing, condensed version of normal human experience; from confusion to enlightenment through to our eventual helplessness in the face of decline.

Highlights

001

I dont no why but he says its importint so they will see if they can use me. I hope they use me becaus Miss Kinnian says mabye they can make me smart. I want to be smart.

001

I had a test today. I think I failed it and I think mabye now they wont use me.

003

Prof Nemur said but why did you want to lern to reed and spell in the frist place. I tolld him because all my life I wantid to be smart and not dumb and my mom always tolld me to try and lern just like Miss Kinnian tells me but its very hard to be smart and even when I lern something in Miss Kinnians class at the school I ferget alot.

003

I want to get smart if they will let me.

006

And the other ten times we did over Algernon won evry time because I coudnt find the right rows to get to where it says FINISH. I dint feel bad because I watched Algernon and I learnd how to finish the amaze even if it takes me along time.
I dint know mice were so smart.

007

Dr Strauss said I had something that was very good. He said I had a good motor-vation. I never even knowed I had that. I felt good when he said not everbody with an eye-Q of 68 had that thing like I had it.

008

I said I dint care because I aint afraid of nothing. Im very strong and I always do good and beside I got my luky rabits foot and I never breakd a mirrir in my life.

008

I told him thanks doc you wont be sorry for giving me my 2nd chanse like Miss Kinnian says. And I meen it like I tolld them. After the operashun Im gonna try to be smart. Im gonna try awful hard.

008

Im skared. Lots of pepul who work at the collidge and the pepul at the midicil school came to wish me luk. Burt the tester brot me some flowers he said they were from the pepul at the psych departmint. He wished me luk. I hope I have luk.

009

She likes me alot becaus I try very hard to lern evrything not like some of the pepul at the adult center who dont reely care. She wants me to get smart. I know.

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