Flowers for Algernon

I don’t know what’s worse: to not know what you are and be happy, or to become what you’ve always wanted to be, and feel alone.” This is a quote from the book -Flowers for Algernon. Why do we put such pressure on ourselves for some artificial accomplishments to feel better about ourselves? This book answers such questions and more by telling us the story of a man who understood life in its simplicity and innocence but a scientific experiment changed all that forever. The Algernon in the story’s title is not a human but in fact a mouse upon whom an experiment is performed to test whether it is possible to increase intelligence artificially. A man called Charlie Gordon, who works as a sweeper in a factory, and has an IQ of 68 volunteers for the operation that is fated to triple his IQ and everything changes. What happens next? The story is a character study, social commentary and love story all rolled in one. But most of all it is a tale of immense empathy and heart that will surely stick with you for a long time. The author says- Its lonely at the top. Everyone wants to belong, It’s the most primal instinct of man as a social being. But what happens if people expect you to be what you are not and deny your true self? Is it then better to be alone? People take too much pleasure at having fun at the expense of those they consider below them and shrivelling up Infront of those they consider superior to them. And maintaining these foolish hierarchies for what?  When one becomes too self-conscious, life becomes more challenging than it needs to be. self-doubt robs one of all meaning giving just emptiness to hold onto that you create in the first place. The story explores themes of identity, self expression, self worth, social acceptance, isolation, unrequited love and human intellect and how it affects how we are perceived by others. The way the story is structured is also so unique filled with grammatical errors and spelling mistakes at the beginning but as time goes on and Charlies  intelligence increases it shifts into a sophisticated and contemplative monologue. This is until the main plot twist and climax of the story which is so beautiful and empathetic and hard-hitting and unexpected that is bound to  make you speechless if not move you to tears(did for me). Charlies eagerness to move up in the world changed his life and those around him forever. How much ambition should we have ? As we want to be someone in this world sometimes we are too eager and in such hurry to let go of our previous selves that we perhaps forget to stop even a moment to say goodbye to our previous selves and our previous lives. And I think that is what the book ultimately tells us – to stop and take a look around every once in a while.