Flowers for Algernon

I don’t usually get really emotional over books because I can usually get past the fact that they’re make believe but “Flowers for Algernon” really tugs at my heartstrings. It’s one of those books that we read in 8^th grade and recognize as a sad story but the true essence of the book didn’t hit me till much later on.

While rereading the book this last time, I became extremely emotional over the story. I think it’s because I realized all the nuances that make Charlie Gordon’s existence so devastating. While he’s in a state of mental retardation, he fails to realize that his so-called “friends” are making fun of him when they laugh at him. After undergoing brain surgery, he is once again separated from his peers when his intellect creates a chasm of social ineptness between him and others. No matter what he does, he is unable to ever fit in, which is what he’s always wanted. Though he thinks that “being smart” will allow him to overcome the social shunning he’s experienced all his life, his smartness only serves to alienate him further.

When I was in the 9^th grade, we learned about a story telling technique called the “hero’s journey.” “Flowers for Algernon” epitomizes that journey by giving very literally interpretations of the call to adventure and return, but it only serves to make the story that much more shattering. Not only that, but Charlie’s return to his original state actually leaves him that much more worse off.

I’m not even sure how much this post can capture the emotion of this book but it certainly is worth the reread if you’re looking for books from your childhood. I’m using it as the first of the 20 books I’m going to read for my goal in my 22 Things list. I know it’s technically a reread but what better way to start of a goal than with something you love!