Charlie Gordon Character Analysis
Charlie Gordon is the narrator and the main protagonist of the novel, who has struggled the whole life toward the burning wish of "being smart". Over a nine-month period, Charlie keeps "Progress Reports" documenting his miraculous transformation from a mentally disabled person to a man of genius, which sets the stage for Daniel Keyes to address to the society a number of broad themes and issues.
Charlie’s limited intelligence has made him a trusting, ingenuous and friendly man, as he assumes that all the people in his humdrum existence — mostly his co-workers at Donner’s Bakery are as well-intentioned as he used to be. However, as the neurosurgery stimulates his brain centers and rapidly increases his ability to learn, thereby elevating his mentality, Charlie gains perspective on his past and present. He founds himself becoming aware of a hard-hitting fact that his associates have constantly taken advantage of him and have treated him roughly just for sport, knowing that he would never understand. What is worse, he recovers that even if some people have shown a kindness to him, it usually came out of compassion or condescension and out of attitude to him as an inferior. …show more content…
He eventually convinces himself of feeling indifference even to Alice Kinnian, the only one person, whom has never betrayed Charlie and the only one, for whom he has maintained a deep affection throughout the life. And Algernon is the sole Charlie’s faithful companion, whom he shows concern for and treats as equal sentient being. Obviously, Charlie is the personification of Algernon to a certain extent. Both feeling caged up and forced to run through endless mazes at the scientists’ whim, with no dignity and no individuality, Charlie and Algernon are looking for the way to the physical liberation and their own emotional
Charlie’s limited intelligence has made him a trusting, ingenuous and friendly man, as he assumes that all the people in his humdrum existence — mostly his co-workers at Donner’s Bakery are as well-intentioned as he used to be. However, as the neurosurgery stimulates his brain centers and rapidly increases his ability to learn, thereby elevating his mentality, Charlie gains perspective on his past and present. He founds himself becoming aware of a hard-hitting fact that his associates have constantly taken advantage of him and have treated him roughly just for sport, knowing that he would never understand. What is worse, he recovers that even if some people have shown a kindness to him, it usually came out of compassion or condescension and out of attitude to him as an inferior. …show more content…
He eventually convinces himself of feeling indifference even to Alice Kinnian, the only one person, whom has never betrayed Charlie and the only one, for whom he has maintained a deep affection throughout the life. And Algernon is the sole Charlie’s faithful companion, whom he shows concern for and treats as equal sentient being. Obviously, Charlie is the personification of Algernon to a certain extent. Both feeling caged up and forced to run through endless mazes at the scientists’ whim, with no dignity and no individuality, Charlie and Algernon are looking for the way to the physical liberation and their own emotional