Flowers for Algernon

Synopsis

'A masterpiece of poignant brilliance . . . heartbreaking' Guardian

Charlie Gordon, a floor sweeper born with an unusually low IQ, has been chosen as the perfect subject for an experimental surgery that doctors hope will increase his intelligence - a procedure that has been highly successful when tested on a lab mouse named Algernon. All Charlie wants is to be smart and have friends, but the treatement turns him into a genius.

Then Algernon begins to fade. What will become of Charlie?

Summary

Chapter 1

* Charlie Gordon, a 32-year-old intellectually disabled man, is selected for an experimental surgery that enhances intelligence.
* He undergoes the surgery and his IQ skyrockets to 185.
* He quickly excels in his studies and becomes a brilliant scientist.

Example:
Charlie used to work as a cleaner at a bakery, earning $16 a week. After the surgery, he gets a job as a research assistant at the lab where the surgery was performed, earning $200 a week.

Chapter 2

* Charlie experiences the joys of intellectual enlightenment, but also the loneliness and isolation that comes with it.
* He realizes that his former friends and family now view him as an outsider.
* He develops feelings for his teacher, Miss Kinnian, but realizes that their relationship is doomed.

Example:
Charlie's former friends at the bakery mock him for his newfound intelligence. He feels hurt and alienated from them.

Chapter 3

* Charlie's enhanced intelligence leads him to question the ethics of the experiment and the motives of the scientists involved.
* He begins to suspect that the surgery may have unintended consequences.
* He learns that the previous subjects of the experiment have all regressed to their former state or worse.

Example:
Charlie reads about a mouse named Algernon, who underwent the same surgery and experienced a similar rapid rise and fall in intelligence.

Chapter 4

* Charlie's intelligence begins to decline, and he experiences a profound sense of loss and despair.
* He realizes that his newfound abilities were only temporary and that he is destined to return to his former state.
* He resolves to make the most of his remaining time and to help others before his intelligence is gone.

Example:
Charlie uses his remaining intelligence to publish his research and advocate for the rights of intellectually disabled individuals.

Chapter 5

* Charlie's regression accelerates, and he rapidly loses his intellectual abilities.
* He returns to the bakery where he worked before the surgery, but he is unable to do his job.
* He is cared for by his former friends, who now understand and appreciate him for who he is.

Example:
Charlie sits in the bakery, watching the people come and go. He smiles and waves at them, even though he no longer remembers their names.

Chapter 6 (Epilogue)

* Years after Charlie's regression, Miss Kinnian visits him at a nursing home.
* She finds him happy and content, despite his diminished abilities.
* He hands her a box of flowers, a symbol of his love and gratitude for her and for all those who have helped him throughout his life.

Example:
Miss Kinnian opens the box of flowers and sees a single rose, its petals slightly wilted but still beautiful. She realizes that Charlie, even in his diminished state, still possesses a spirit of love and kindness.