Book review
Book review English language and composition Flowers for Algernon
Summary and Key Analysis of Symbolism in the novel, Flowers of Algernon.
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ELA 1ACEFlowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
Objects
Mouse- The lab mouse, Algernon, is important to the main character, Charlie, because he
relates to him. Algernon shows Charlie’s future and gives him hope. Algernon represents reality,
which is a lab experiment on a human being; when Charlie realizes that he resents it.
Penny- Before Charlie’s surgery he always carried a rabbit’s foot, horseshoe, and a penny with
him. These items symbolize innocence because he believes in such things as good luck and
isn’t confident in himself.
The Mixer- When the workers at Donner’s Bakery jokingly ask Charlie to work the mixer he does
it even better than the worker with that job, which surprises everyone and makes them jealous.
The mixer incident proves to Charlie that he is finally able to remember what he learns and that
his IQ is getting higher. The mixer also shows irony because it shows he is smarter than his
friends and thought that becoming smarter would make him more friends, but instead he lost all
his friends at the bakery when he did get smarter.
The books- They represent the time in Charlie’s life when he is finally as smart as he aspired to
be. He holds on to the books as a reminder to him.
The maze- It represents the first markers of Charlie’s intelligence. This is important because
when Charlie beats Algernon at the maze it shows that the experiment is working.
Summary
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes is about a man named Charlie who is born with a low IQ.
He agrees to be a part of a surgical experiment that will dramatically increase his mental
capabilities. This surgery had been tested on Algernon, a mouse, whose IQ level has grown
significantly since having this surgery. Over a period of time, Charlie finds himself reading more,
beating Algernon in a maze race at the lab, and even makes a perfect dough at the bakery
where he works. As Charlie gets smarter, he loses his friends at the bakery and his job. He
recalls many past events and he struggles to understand them and why they had happened. He
also struggles to make friends and relationships due to a lack of emotional growth and
experience. When Professor Nemur brings Charlie to a convention in Chicago, Charlie believes
that he had been used like Algernon and that the people only see him as a lab experiment. He
starts to work independently on the experiment when suddenly Algernon deteriorates; this leads
Charlie to the conclusion that the same thing will happen to him. Towards the end of the book,
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