Flowers Of Algernon

Essay: Flowers for Algernon

“I want to be smart”. This are the words that Daniel Keyes, author of this short novel, wants us to remember in our lives. Why? Because smart is a word that not onlymeans knowledge, it means a lot of other concepts. These concepts are hidden in some symbolism to depict the theme of “Flowers for Algernon”. The three symbolisms more important are represented incharacters, like Algernon and the dishwasher of the diner, and in the story of Adam and Eve told by Fanny.
Algernon is a mouse that is a laboratory test like Charlie. Both were operated for the samereason, to be more “smart”. The mouse symbolizes the future of Charlie, because everything that happens with Algernon also is going to happen to Charlie. If the mouse loses intelligence Charlie willalso lose intelligence because they have the same operation. It also symbolizes Charlie’s status as a subject of the scientists: locked in a cage and forced to run through mazes at the scientist’s whim,Algernon is allowed no dignity and no individuality like Gordon. Charlie free the mouse from his cage and both decision to abandon the laboratory makes Algernon’s physical liberation a symbol of hisown emotional independence.
Other character that has symbolism is the dishwasher of the diner. He was a retarded boy like Charlie was. When the boy makes that disaster of broken dishes, everyone waslaughing because he was mentally retarded. From there Charlie realized that he was like him, and that the “smart” people make fun of the mentally retarded people because there are “inferior” to themjust because there are not so smart. Here is where Keyes want to us know that there are other things that make a person “smart”.
“It was evil when Eve listened to the snake and ate from the three ofknowledge. It was evil when she saw she was naked. If not for that none of us would ever have to grow old and sick, and die.” These are the words of Fanny. This story symbolizes the resemblance to...