Comparing Charly And Flowers For Algernon

In the story “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes and the movie Charly are about a mentally challenged man named Charlie Gordon who struggles to fit in with society. Charlie tries to fix his problem by getting an operation, performed by Dr. Richard Nemur and Dr. Edith Strauss, that would make him smarter. The operation did work. However, Charlie became way too smart for the rest of the society. The movie Charly, changes the point of view, foreshadowing, and characterization of the story “Flowers for Algernon” which makes the story more effective.

The movie Charly is in third person point of view so Charlie’s feelings weren’t known. But in the story, the point of view was from Charlie’s perspective, so his thoughts and feelings were told. For example the book quotes, “The doctors say I should write these progress reports to track down my progress.” But the movie says Ms Kinnian j has Charlie write on a chalkboard so he can
Kinnian feels the same was as he does. This is proved when Charlie quotes, “I’m in love with Ms. Kinnian, but she will never feel the same way about me.” But, in the movie Ms. Kinnian and Charlie both feel the exact same way with each other. Charlie confesses to Ms. Kinnian about his affection for her, and she also tells him how she feels. The two start a relationship and leave the city for four weeks without notifying anyone. This creates a significant difference because the reader assumes that Ms. Kinnian doesn’t feel the same way as Charlie does.

In conclusion, both “Flowers and Algernon” and Charly do an excellent job of telling the story of Charlie Gordon, but, the point of view is more effective because it gives more insight on Charlie’s emotions and feelings. Furthermore, knowing these two things gives the reader a better understanding.In both the short story and the movie, Charlie’s experience teaches the reader that they shouldn’t have to change themselves just to