Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
I finally read “Flowers for Algernon”, and found it to be a moving exploration of identity and intelligence. Its narrator stream of thought style and the NYC setting reminded me of “Catcher in the Rye” in many ways but here we experience the narrator’s dramatic intellectual transformation and decline. Through Charlie’s eyes, we see both the wonder of intellectual discovery and the cost of cognitive decline.
It lead me to reflect on conditions like Alzheimer’s disease and brain injury. It’s an example of how only through fiction can we try to imagine and experience such a cognitive decline and changing of personality. The story made me think about how society values and judges people based on perceived intelligence, degrees and certifications, and about human consciousness, dignity, and what truly makes us who we are.