Initially Charlie was intellectually disabled. He was happy but always wanted to be smarter. Charlie Gordon changed in some aspect, but not as a person. Doctor Nemur had come up with the idea of performing a brain surgery on a patient to make them smarter, this was only after it was proved that it was successful on a small white mouse called Algernon. They performed the brain surgery on Charlie to make him smarter. He never retained any of the information because in the end he lost it all. Charlie’s intelligence changed him for a short period. After going the experiment, Charlie started to understand his environment and relationships better. He became angry, it was because he saw the world was not as nice as he used to think it was. In the end Charlie’s surgery wore off and he became the old Charlie Gordon.
“I just want to be smart like OT her pepul so I can have lots of frends.”
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Intellect and emotion
Although he might not have been smart, Charlie was the definition of happiness. He worked happily as a janitor, was motivated to learn, and had a great time with his friends. After Charlie undergoes an experiment that makes him smarter, his life changes for the worse. But Charlie little intelligence doesn’t affect his feelings, emotions and perceptions. For example, his feelings are not really affected by the other men teasing him about his low ability because his perception is that they are being friendly and not mean. He realizes that his so called friends, were just using him to entertain their humour. He was also fired from the job because his new intelligence made those around him feel inferior and scared. This sends Charlie into a short depression. His life was better before the experiment, Keyes is saying that happiness is more valuable than intellect.
Then I walked home. It's a funny thing I never knew that Joe and Frank and the others liked to have me around all the time to make fun of me.
Philosophical problems
As Charlie gains intelligence, he begins to understand that he has been used as a lab animal, a test subject by Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss. His well-being is less important to the scientists conducting the experiment on him than the experiment itself. He realizes that he is no different than the lab mouse Algernon. This makes him angry. Out In reality Charlie’s intelligence is the downfall of him, with the loss of his job, losing the only friends he had and the awareness that he will lose his intelligence, he becomes depressed and leaves town. He isolates himself from the world. This raises the question, is intelligence more important than happiness? Is it ok to experiment on people, and change who they are as a person? Should we change if there was a way? Charlie feels good that he did something important for science, although he cannot remember what. Do you think that his experience did improve the lives of others?
“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.”
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