Life Is Like A... Highly Developed, Surgically Stimulated Lab Rat; You Never Know What You'll Get. (SF Masterworks 25: Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes)

Member Name: jatkinson100

Product:	SF Masterworks 25: Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keyes
Date:	16/03/05 (302 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fantastic characters., Wonderful Writing., A Great Piece of Literature, funny, heart warming and heart rending.

Disadvantages: The phonetic, simplistic style of the beginning can be off-putting, but you MUST persevere.

Charlie Gordon is a floor sweeper. Algernon is a lab rat. ‘Flowers for Algernon’ is the tale of how these two lives become inextricably linked. It is powerful, beautifully written and one of the most moving stories I have ever had the pleasure to read.

Charlie Gordon has an IQ of 68; he is stupid, educationally subnormal, slow, Special Needs, whatever you want to call him. He is also tender, warm hearted, caring and trusting. He has reached, through blood, sweat and tears, the pinnacle of his educational ability. Charlie has gone to night school, in Miss Kinnian’s class at “beekmin colidge center for retarded” to learn how to read, write and count, but, no matter how hard he tries, the things he learns just won’t stick. He tries, though. God knows, he tries. It is this thirst for knowledge over and above his ability, and his unique desire for some, any, knowledge, that leads him to Dr Strauss.

Miss Kinnian knows how much he wants to understand, to learn, to interact with ‘normal’ people on a ‘normal’ level. She introduces him Dr Strauss. Dr Strauss is a renowned scientist who has found a ‘cure’ for people like Charlie. He has found a way to stimulate the brain and make Charlie into the person he wants to be. Charlie takes this gift with both hands and begins the treatment, soon showing results that no-one could have dreamed of.

‘Flowers for Algernon’ is written in the first person by Charlie. In the beginning, each chapter is a, variously, a progris riport, or progress report. Charlie tells us about his life, what he does, and how excited he is to be chosen to take part in this experiment. He tells us about his working life at Mr Donner’s bakery, his lessons with Miss Kinnian, and the tests the doctors perform on him to check that he is suitable. He also lets us inside his mind, talking about his hopes and fears, showing us his desire for normalcy and worries about the new life he will lead. His overriding emotions, however, are hope and happiness.

Daniel Keyes mirrors Charlie’s state in his writing, with Charlie spelling everything phonetically and simply, using little, if any, punctuation, and making constant grammatical errors. ‘Dr Strauss says I shoud rite down what I think and remember and every thing that happins to me from now on,’ and that’s exactly what he does. The book begins to evolve along with Charlie’s newfound intelligence and ability, again mirrored in the writing so that, as his intelligence grows, the accuracy and sophistication of the writing does too.

Charlie, eventually, stops making the progress reports, but the narrative style continues as we pick up Charlie’s diary entries. Charlie, before, only saw that he was different and other people were better because they could read, write and remember things; the stuff we take for granted. The new Charlie, though, begins to see people for what they are. He sees the way others treated him, and how they treat him differently now, and begins to draw staggeringly thoughtful conclusions to the way in which we treat people we deem to be lesser than us. Charlie becomes bright, but in gaining intelligence he steadily loses the innocence and ability to trust that, variously, made people love him, pity him, or take advantage of him.

As you read through this book, the old Charlie, as he says himself, begins to fade, and the new, highly intelligent and sophisticated one shines through and takes over his life. There is, however, a great big sting in the tail, causing Charlie to make an even deeper and desperate connection to his surgical predecessor, Algernon.

Both Charlies are fantastic characters, fully rounded and explored. Keyes develops them and their transition expertly to create characters that, I promise, you will never forget.

‘Flowers for Algernon’ has the ability to make you laugh and cry; it truly is a powerful and mesmerising emotional rollercoaster. You’ll love Charlie, and begin to understand the new Charlie that takes over from him, and there’s just a second or so of crossover when you’ll feel both. Keyes is a fantastic author who takes you this way and that before spitting you out when he’s done with you. This book will make you smile, but, be warned, it will hurt! You will never, ever forget this book, or Charlie Gordon.

This book is a fantastic piece of writing, and one that I would recommend to anyone. I have found it, in a classroom, to be an excellent way to get bright kids to look at the way in which they look at and treat others. Children who can be so cruel at others’ misfortunes can take from this book a great deal and it can, and does, change their attitudes and behaviour towards others for the better. It shows them tolerance, understanding, empathy, sympathy and pathos.

However, this is not a kids' book. YOU should read it. Couldn’t you do with changing your ideas about others? Couldn’t you do with looking at certain other ‘types’ of people a little differently? Couldn’t we all do with a look at Charlie Gordon’s life and see us in him, and in his tormentors?

“I cant think anymore because I have nothing to rite so I will close for today… yrs truly Charlie Gordon.”

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