English 28 - the Many Phases of Charlie

Sylvia Solar

Professor Madrid

English 28

6 October 2015

The Many Phases of Charlie

        In Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes , Charlie Gordon is a mentally retarded thirty-two-year-old man who is chosen by a team of scientists to go through an experimental surgery designed to boost his intelligence. Alice Kinnian, Charlie's teacher at the Beekman College Center for Retarded Adults has recommended Charlie for the experiment because he is extremely eager to learn. Dr. Strauss and Professor Nemur ask Charlie to keep a journal and that is when the story is composed of the "progress reports" that Charlie writes. Progress reports are a more physical way of seeing ones progress. The story is being told from Charlie's point of view.

Charlie who is egotistical sees himself as superior to others, believing that his opinion is the only one that matters; This belief makes him self-centered inconsiderable of all feeling other than his own. Thereby, although intellectually mature, he remains a unlikeable, judgemental child in conflict with other and himself.

        Charlie is egotistical because he feels power over those who do not share his intellectual ability. At the convention, after having a conversation with Dr. Strauss about languages, Dr Strauss explains to Charlie that Professor Nemur does not read many languages as he does, explaining, " You're making him feel inferior and he cannot take it... Nemur could not discuss those articles because he has not read them, He cannot read those languages...Charlie not everyone has your gift for languages."(149). For Charlie, the amount of languages one knows defines the value of a person. This belief makes him wrongfully judge those around him as inferior to himself because he seem to grasp that he seeks no opinion from those who care about him. Such a person believes that their own opinion is the only of value and therefore the only one that matters. Charlie has a higher intellectual capacity that however makes him blind to his own superiority.         

        His blindness to his egotism makes Charlie judgmental towards others. Believing that Nemur and Strass lied about their intellectual abilities, Charlie accuses them of being, "Frauds - both of them. They had  pretended to be geniuses. But they were ordinary men working blindly, pretending to be able to bring light into the darkness? Why is it that everyone lies? No one I know is what he appears to be."(151).  Just, because they were doctor trying to advance in Science does not mean they proclaim to be geniuses as Charlie believes. For Charlie, they are liars in his mind. His judgments is based on his false perception of truth. The truth is they are "ordinary men" who never proclaimed otherwise. His judgment is hypocritical, unable to see it himself. Stuck in his own darkness of superiority, not being able to see his own hypocrisy Charlie becomes anti resistant feeling treated unfairly.

        Because of his sense of superiority and judgmental attitude Charlie feels entitled, believing Fay is the object of his sexual fulfillment, with disregard to Fay's feelings, Charlie forces upon himself unto her when they were in his apartment but, "Before she could protest, [ he] had her in [his] arms, kissing her, caressing her, overwhelming her with all the built-up excitement that was ready to tear [him] apart. [He] tried to unhook her brassiere but [he] pulled too hard and the hook tore out." (208).  Charlie does not yet comply the difference between what is to make love and for it to be all about sex, he showed sexual aggression when he referred to the excitement as about to tear him apart. The pleasure for it to be over with so he rushed it and it made Fay feel uncomfortable till he started to caress her. He wanted to make have it his way with her whether or not she was ready for it. He did not take in consideration her feelings towards what was going on , even when she told him that she is human too.  Human beings deserve to have their opinions matter and to be heard when they do not want something to happen to respect them. Charlie has not grasp that concept yet, he fulfilled  his needs. To him, that is all that matters.