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1-Page Summary of Flowers For Algernon
Overall Summary
The novel is about a man named Charlie Gordon who has an IQ of 68. He works at a bakery and attends classes to learn how to read and write. His teacher recommends him for an experimental surgery that will greatly increase his intelligence. The surgery succeeds, but he becomes smarter than the professor who performed it on him, which causes problems in their relationship.
Charlie undergoes surgery and is told that he’ll have an IQ of 185. At first, Charlie doesn’t feel intelligent at all because his coworkers still bully him for being clumsy. He continues to meet with Alice who tells him to be patient. Charlie has flashbacks about his childhood which he barely remembers.
At work, Charlie is showing signs of increased intelligence. He’s good at mixing dough and gets a raise for his efforts. Dr. Strauss—who acts as his therapist—explains to him that he has wet dreams. Meanwhile, he beats Algernon in an intelligence test, but also remembers more about his past: Rose Gordon (his mother) would spank him when she felt he was being bad, and Norma Gordon (his sister) hated him because their parents gave him too much attention.
Alice teaches grammar to Charlie and encourages him to read, which makes him smarter. He alienates his coworkers because they’re jealous of how much smarter he is. Alice notices that Charlie is very handsome, and she tries to pluck up the courage to ask him out on a date.
Charlie discovers that his coworker, Gimpy, is stealing from the bakery. Charlie asks Professor Nemur for advice on how to handle the situation, but he says it’s not important and advises him to let it go. Alice tells Charlie that there will be other opportunities for him to stand up for what he believes in if this one doesn’t work out. He goes back and confronts Gimpy about stealing from the bakery and convinces him to stop doing so.
Charlie and Alice have a great time on the date, and Charlie is sure that he’s falling in love with her. However, she tells him that he has to be patient because although his intelligence level is high now, it’s still lower than hers. They go out again and Charlie realizes how much smarter she is than him.
Charlie is fired from his job at the bakery. His coworkers are furious with him for becoming a genius, so they sign a petition to get rid of him. Charlie is hurt by this rejection and warns that it was wrong of Adam and Eve to eat from the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden. He goes to Alice’s apartment, where he tries unsuccessfully to have sex with her.
Charlie continues to work with Professor Nemur, but now he’s annoyed by the professor’s condescending attitude. Charlie decides to rebel against him and frees Algernon from his cage. He leaves Chicago in search of a better life for himself, determined never again to be used as a guinea pig.
Charlie goes back to New York and finds an apartment. He meets women, but he scares them off because of his odd behavior. After meeting Fay Lillman, however, Charlie begins to improve socially. At the same time, Charlie remembers some traumatic events from his childhood that explain why he is so socially awkward. He also visits his father and fails to reveal who he is.
Charlie decides to study the brain, because he thinks it will help him cure people with mental disabilities. At the same time, he starts a relationship with Fay. Initially, Charlie can’t have sex without having hallucinations of his younger self. However, over time he learns how to be comfortable around her and they become intimate.
Charlie is horrified to discover that Algernon’s intelligence is starting to disappear. He fears that the same thing may happen to him, and he worries about what would happen if he lost his intelligence. Charlie decides to pursue this research with Nemur’s help, but in the meantime, he visits Warren State Home for the Mentally Disabled—the place where Charlie may have to live if his hypothesis turns out correct and he loses his intelligence.
