Flowers for Algernon
Flowers for Algernon is a short story by American author Daniel Keyes, later expanded by him into a novel and subsequently adapted for film and other media. The short story, written in 1958 and first published in the April 1959 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 1960.[2] The novel was published in 1966 and was joint winner of that year's Nebula Award for Best Novel (with Babel-17).[3]
This article is about the short story and novel. For the 2000 television movie, see Flowers for Algernon (film). For the album, see Flowers for Algernon (album).Author
English
April 1959 (short story)
March 1966 (novel)
United States
Print (hardback & paperback)
311 (novel)[1]
Algernon is a laboratory mouse who has undergone surgery to increase his intelligence. The story is told by a series of progress reports written by Charlie Gordon, the first human subject for the surgery, and it touches on ethical and moral themes such as the treatment of the mentally disabled.[4]
Although the book[5] has often been challenged for removal from libraries in the United States and Canada, sometimes successfully, it is frequently taught in schools around the world and has been adapted many times for television, theater, radio and as the Academy Award-winning film Charly.[6][7][8][9]
Style[edit]
Both the novel and the short story are written in an epistolary style collecting together Charlie's personal "progress reports" from a few days before the operation until he regresses back to his original state almost five months later. Initially, the reports are filled with elementary spelling errors and awkwardly constructed sentences, reflecting the writing of a young child.[25] The story is told from Charlie's point of view, in a first-person perspective, allowing the reader to see through Charlie's eyes and hear each thought. Keyes shares the importance of this in his memoir, "This had to be told from Charlie's perspective. It had to be first person, major character angle—in Charlie's mind and through Charlie's eyes all the way."[11] As an imbecile, Charlie is initially an unreliable narrator who presents the story through an immature worldview; his low intelligence compromises his ability to understand the world around him. This results in a case of dramatic irony, as readers are often more aware of Charlie's situation than he is.
Following the operation, however, the reports begin to show marked improvements in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and diction, indicating a rise in his intelligence.[26] As his intelligence improves, Charlie's perception broadens, and he realizes that things are entirely different than he had perceived them to be. Charlie's awareness increases to match that of the reader's and quickly surpasses it. This transforms him into a reliable narrator, able to provide all relevant information accurately.
Charlie's regression is conveyed by the loss of these skills.[26] In his final state, Charlie returns to a state of unreliability; his ability to accurately narrate events diminished by the regression. The polar differences in writing style emphasise the changes Charlie experiences from the operation and takes the reader along with Charlie's arc and growth/regression as well as supports the foil throughout the story.
Themes[edit]
Important themes in Flowers for Algernon include the treatment of the mentally disabled,[4][27] the impact on happiness of the conflict between intellect and emotion,[28][29] and how events in the past can influence a person later in life.[29] Algernon is an example of a story that incorporates the science-fiction theme of uplift.[30]
Flowers for Algernon has been adapted many times for different media including stage, screen, and radio. These adaptations include:
Further stage and radio adaptations have been produced in France (1982), Ireland (1983), Australia (1984), Poland (1985), Japan (1987, 1990), and Czechoslovakia (1988).[42]