Critical Analysis of "Flowers for Algernon"
Critical Analysis of "Flowers for Algernon"
Flowers for Algernon is a story about a failed scientific experiment. However, the radio play also deals with other issues such as love and friendship, medical ethics, tampering with human intelligence and the consequences, and conflict of interest.
On one level Flowers for Algernon is about a scientific experiment that goes wrong. Charlie Gordon is a thirty seven year old man, who has an IQ of sixty-eight. Charlie wants, more than anything, "to be smart." Charlie agrees to take part in an experimental operation, to hopefully triple his intelligence. The operation is successful, but not permanent, and the after effects leave Charlie in a worse state than before the operation. Sadly, the idea of improving intelligence by surgical means, " has no practical application what-so-ever."
As well as being a story about a failed scientific experiment, Flowers for Algernon also addresses the issue of love and friendship, especially between ‘slow' and ‘normal' people. A special friendship develops between Charlie and Ms Kinnian, over the course of the radio play. To Charlie, Ms Kinnian is like a mentor. She supports and cares for Charlie throughout his development, and helps him realize things about the world and himself that he never knew before.
Ms Kinnian cares deeply for Charlie, in this radio play, she believes Charlie is a " very fine person," but Charlie feels more than respect for Ms Kinnian. As Charlie's emotions develop, he realizes that he is "in love with Ms Kinnian." It is questionable, however, if Charlie really does love Ms Kinnian, or just thinks he does for she is the one person that understands him.
In the beginning of the radio play, Charlie believes he has wonderful friends, who he has fun with and who are very nice people. Meanwhile, Joe and Frank, ( his friends), are just continuously making fun of him, by making very bad jokes such as " Getting him up Ellen" and " What'd they do, Charlie, put some brains in?". Charlie later realizes that Joe and Frank were just using him as a butt for all their bad jokes, and this angers him, for all he ever wanted was to be like his friends. Even when Charlie is very intelligent, he is still not accepted, for now Joe and Frank feel threatened by the new Charlie. " Before, when they laughed at me, they despised me for my ignorance; now...