Flowers for Algernon Main Ideas

Intellect versus Love

Through the portrayal of old Charlie Gordon versus the new Charlie Gordon, the author brings to the fore a very important difference between intellectual capabilities and the ability to love. Old Charlie is dimwitted but loved by all around him—he wants to become intelligent to gain more friends and has an inherent desire to grow but without stepping on others. The new Charlie becomes smarter than most around him but loses love and friendship. He has no patience for stupidity or emotions, which never seem to be in line with logic. He becomes a lonely, bitter and angry man.

Even though dimwitted Charlie has several limitations in life, he is a simpleton who is loved and wants to love. Intellectual Charlie wins academic accolades but not acceptance or care from those around him.

Daniel Keyes seems to highlight the fact that love and warmth trump intellectual prowess and humanity will always be tethered to the lines of emotion rather than intelligence.

Ambition and Acceptance

Old Charlie wishes to become smarter to gain more friends. His only ambition in life is to work diligently toward becoming a smart man—to be accepted by family and society. The new Charlie’s ambitions are geared toward greatness and popularity but his ambitions seem to have the opposite effect—he is lonely, irritable, and unhappy. He also holds a lot of disdain for his old self—who he sees as a helpless moron.

But the old Charlie accepts his fate and lives life on simple and happy terms. He is protected by friends, loved by colleagues, and is able to laugh at jokes, even those that are pointed at him.

This key difference—of a bitter ambitious man versus a happy, accepting man—points toward one of the foremost questions in human life: do we accept our fate and learn to be happy with it or do we continually push the boundaries of life and fight for what we think we deserve.