Themes
What is one central theme of Flowers for Algernon?
What is “intelligence does not guarantee happiness”?
What motivates Charlie to undergo the operation?
What is “his desire to be smart and accepted”?
How is the story told (what format)?
What is “through Charlie’s progress reports or journal entries”?
What does Algernon symbolize in the story?
What is “Charlie’s own fate and the fragility of the experiment”?
This abbreviation is used to discuss a person's Intelligence Quotient.
What is "IQ"
This theme is explored through Charlie’s emotional isolation as he gains intelligence.
What is “the loneliness of self-awareness” or “the emotional cost of progress”?
How does Charlie’s view of his coworkers change after the surgery?
What is “he realizes they were mocking him, not being friendly”?
What happens to Algernon after the experiment?
What is “he declines and dies, foreshadowing Charlie’s own fate”?
How does Charlie’s handwriting/spelling serve as a symbol in the story?
What is “a visual marker of his mental state and personal evolution”?
Define “regression” as used in the story.
What is “a return to a less advanced state”?
How does the story challenge society’s assumptions about people with disabilities?
What is “by showing Charlie’s worth and depth of character before the surgery”?
What does Charlie’s relationship with Miss Kinnian reveal about his emotional growth?
What is “he learns to love and feel vulnerability”?
Why is the journal format important for the story?
What is “it shows Charlie’s transformation through his own voice”?
What does Charlie’s final request about Algernon suggest symbolically?
What is “a desire to preserve dignity and memory beyond intelligence”?
IN what way or ways was Charlie “naïve” before the surgery.
“Charlie was naïve about how people treated him, believing they were his friends.”
What does the story suggest about the ethics of scientific experimentation on humans?
What is “scientific progress must be balanced with empathy and responsibility”?
Describe a moment when Charlie shows true emotional maturity.
What is “when he buries Algernon and asks for flowers on the grave”?
Describe the turning point in the story when Charlie realizes the experiment may fail.
What is “when Algernon begins to act aggressively and deteriorate”?
How does the maze represent more than just a test for Algernon?
What is “it symbolizes Charlie’s struggle and isolation in life”?
Define “inferiority complex” and explain how it applies to Charlie.
What is “a feeling of inadequacy; Charlie feels lesser before the surgery”?
ow is the theme of identity explored through Charlie’s transformation?
What is “Charlie struggles with who he is as his intelligence grows and fades”?
How does Charlie’s regression at the end affect his sense of identity?
What is “he begins to forget but still retains a sense of dignity and love”?
How does the structure of the progress reports reflect Charlie’s intellectual arc?
What is “spelling and grammar improve, then regress as his intelligence fades”?
What is the symbolic meaning of the title Flowers for Algernon?
What is “a gesture of remembrance and empathy for what was lost”?
What does “foreshadowing” mean, and how is it used in relation to Algernon?
What is “a warning or indication of future events; Algernon’s decline foreshadows Charlie’s”?