“This intelligence had driven a wedge between me and all the people I once knew and loved.” Charlie Gordon, the main character in Daniel's Keyes's short story,” Flowers for Algernon”, is a mentally-challenge and undergoes an operation that increases his intellect. Instead of feeling better after the surgery, Charlie finds himself more isolated and that the gift of intelligence, instead of bringing happiness, leads to disappointment.

Charlie misses a chance with his co-workers. First of all, he thought that he had real friends. His co-workers would laugh at him all the time. Next, Frank and Joe got Charlie drunk at a party and they told him that he should show the girls how he mops the toilets. After the party, he bought coffee for Frank and Joe. When he came back, nobody was there. Lastly, since the operation, his co-workers said their buddies pulled a “Charlie Gordon”. After I read that, I thought that they meant that someone made a mistake or did something silly; the same way that Charlie did. In the end he was so disappointed that he realized that his friends weren't really his friends.

As the story moved along, I saw Charlie's disability getting better. “They are going to use me!” Charlie was so excited that he could barely write. Since the operation took a long time to set in, the doctors took some tests to see if Charlie made any improvements. He had to race Algernon many times. Algernon would always beat Charlie. Then one day when they were racing at home, Charlie finally won. Although Charlie's operation has not taken full effect, it has made him happy and given him the confidence. Now he feels smart.

People can be so cruel. When they make fun of someone, they are hurting their feelings for no reason just because they act different. Charlie thought he had real friends, but little did he know that they were making fun of him. I can relate to his situation because I have experienced something similar to his situation. For example, friends should not talk behind your back, say rude things, yell in your face, or call you names. For your information, I no longer call these people my friends. I have moved on and found new friends that are nice, caring, and honest.

In conclusion, I think that Charlie was lucky to have the opportunity to have an operation that could have possibly changed his life forever. He was grateful to experience being smart even though it did not last very long. Charlie was sad when Algernon died. He wrote a letter to everyone saying that he was leaving for New York to live there. After reading the story, I was sad that Charlie's operation was not permanent. All in all, I learned that we should not make fun of people with disabilities because they are human and have feeling too!

"This will certify that the above work is completely original." Shannon Chew
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