"And we could come up against some of the limits set by physics. "Well… we experienced some setbacks with Patient 1, a guy named Charlie," the scientist says. "Are there any catches?" you ask (your dream self is so naïve). All you have to do is undergo a little experimental surgery. You're dreaming of a mad scientist who promises you the ultimate brain, perfect for acing tests and impressing teachers. But before you know it, you're actually dreaming. That A+ is within reach-it's an achievable dream. "If only I could cram for a little longer," you think. Flashcards are flashing before your eyes, the Red Bull is wearing off, and you're about to pass out on your computer keyboard from sheer exhaustion. It's 2:00AM the night before a major anatomy exam, and your brain is maxed out with studying. What is Flowers for Algernon About and Why Should I Care?
And if Charly's a little on the heavy side, TiVo Pinky and the Brain for some comic relief. You get plopped right into the debate on tinkering with intelligence while sampling some sweet 1960s cinematography. If you're looking for some real 1960s flavor, check out Charly, the 1968 film based on Flowers for Algernon. And for a decade known for radical ideas, there sure is a lot of emphasis placed on conformity. He's a lonely guy who thinks smarts will skyrocket him to popularity, but there's a major reality check heading his way-super-intelligence isn't exactly the status quo, after all. So where does Charlie fit into this equation? People with disabilities are slowly gaining civil rights, but discrimination still occurs on the regular. In fact, he was so interested in telling Charlie's story that he expanded it from a short story in a science fiction mag to a big honkin' book.Īnyway, take a look at when the book was published: in 1966, right smack dab between Leave it to Beaver and radical hippies peacing out all over the place. Pinky and the Brain, anyone? Okay, so our main guy, Charlie, is a little more into surviving an experimental surgery than making minions bow to his greatness-and he also isn't a mouse (though his sidekick is)-but author Daniel Keyes is certainly interested in what happens when you futz around with intelligence of the artificial variety… and let's just say it's not all rainbows and butterflies. It's a tale as old as time, or at least as old as Warner Bros.: a super-smart lab mouse and his sidekick scheme to defeat their captors and take over the world in Flowers for Algernon.
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