Shreeya Week #10: Power Imbalances in Society
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A few weeks ago, I read a book called Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. This book takes place in the 1950s and details the story of a 32-year-old man named Charlie Gordon, who was born with phenylketonuria, a rare disorder that can cause intellectual disabilities and other detrimental health effects. Due to his disability, Charlie has an IQ of 68, which is well below the IQ of a person of average intelligence, and makes his living sweeping floors at a bakery owned by his uncle.
Everything changes when he is selected to be the first human recipient of a novel medical operation that has proven to vastly improve the intelligence of a mouse named Algernon without any side effects. The narrator, Charlie, undergoes the surgery—he wants to learn so that he can be smart and feel normal, as he thinks these qualities would bring him dozens of friends. As anticipated, the change in Charlie’s IQ is exponential, as is his perception of the world, himself, and the people around him.
However, as Charlie’s IQ increases and eventually surpasses that of the doctors who created the surgery, he remembers more of his past, such as his abusive mother and how he kept him at home to keep people from “talking,” and comes to realize that all those times he laughed with his colleagues at the bakery—the times he felt he had friends—were, in fact, times he was being laughed at for his disability. Many of these “friends” have thought it funny to kick Charlie’s legs out from underneath him and even had Charlie dance drunkenly to their amusement.
The scenes involving Charlie’s colleagues at the bakery often show the equal treatment of Charlie in comparison to them, as they have no disability that interferes with their day-to-day lives. Charlie’s growth includes his increasing awareness of how he and countless others have been treated due to their disabilities.
Keyes uses these parts of the book to comment on how society often ostracizes others who aren’t considered “normal,” especially during this period when many proved incapable of understanding these people were also human beings. In fact, the idea of the operation and how Charlie is used as an object, a mere product of science, likely alludes to similar circumstances happening to people with disabilities in the 1950s.
About halfway through the book, a sudden misfortune arises: Algernon, the mouse who first received the surgery, shows signs of mental regressions back to his primitive level of intelligence. The concern grows about whether the same would happen to Charlie, yet Keyes’ focus remains on the poor treatment of people who aren’t considered “normal” and what happens if they suddenly are.
For me, this book was a thoughtful commentary on society and how people with intellectual disabilities are treated; Keyes portrays this power dynamic in society exceptionally well. Charlie’s journey is emotional and impactful, and I would definitely recommend this artistic book to everyone.
Hi Shreeya, your analysis of "Flowers for Algernon" and how it relates to power in society was very insightful and interesting. In the sixth grade, I read a book called "Out of my Mind", which is somewhat similar to this book. It is about a girl, Melody, who was born with cerebral palsy, disabling her from talking and being able to move. She was extremely smart however, smarter than the average kid in her grade, and was able to communicate with others through some kind of technology. She joined a team called “the Whiz Kids”that participated in competitions on common knowledge and helped carry her team to victory in many of the competitions. However, despite being of the same intelligence, she was looked down upon and made fun of in the group. One of their competitions was across the country and the team went without letting Melody know because she would be a burden to take on the plane. Having people view her like this when she is just as qualified as the rest of the team, if not more, shows the cruel feeling of power that people have over those that are slightly different than an average individual. Those with disabilities especially, are treated as if they are less important, as shown in both of our books.
ReplyDeleteHello, Shreeya. I thoroughly loved your critique of "Flowers for Algernon" and its examination of power relations in society. It's remarkable how literature can shine light on such complicated situations. Your comment of "Out of My Mind" creates a ground of relatability with the audience. Where Melody, despite her intellect, experiences prejudice and rejection as a result of her cerebral palsy, reflecting the harsh truth of social views toward individuals who are viewed as different. It's concerning to watch how people with disabilities are frequently neglected and overlooked, regardless of their ability. This reminds me of a video I saw on Instagram reels the other day where there was a story of how a man with special needs excelled at his job despite being overlooked by employers initially, Both books emphasize the need of empathy and inclusion while interacting with others.
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