Using Daniel Keyes, “Flowers for Algernon” Essay

Many feel that the mentally challenged are subjected to the many issues of misjudgment and maltreatment by individuals that lack the information and understanding of their mental conditions. Generally what people don’t know about, they will consider peculiar or awkward and this is a case while using hardships from the mentally challenged.

Prejudice, maltreatment and lack of knowledge towards the mentally challenged are illustrated by novel, Bouquets for Algernon. In Plants for Algernon, Charlie Gordon, being psychologically challenged, goes thru many activities when he is pre evaluated by many persons, especially those who also claim to become his close friends. These ‘friends’ of his have the incorrect ideas and wrong sights when it comes to the mentally questioned.

They believe that if an amputee has no arm or leg then perhaps a retard does not have any brain, which can be completely unimportant. “Joe Carp said howdy look Steve had his operashun what did they certainly Charlie put some brains in” (Keyes, 16) Just because an individual is emotionally challenged is no reason for believing that they are unfit to be learning or doing nearly anything and that is exactly what his ‘friends’ and many others would to Steve. “…I asked Joe Carp how this individual lerned to learn and if I really could lern to read to. He laffed just like he usually done when I said a thing funny and he says to me Charlie why waste your time they cant put any kind of branes in where there aint non-e. ” (Keyes, 19) The hardships of misjudgment that are faced by Steve in his retarded state after change the way he looks at the world generally.

Along with prejudice, Steve, was as well maltreated by simply his ‘so-called’ friends and many more people, which include his individual mother. Rose, Charlie’s mother, wanted a great deal for Steve to learn and turn into somebody in life and the girl did not need to accept that he was emotionally challenged. This was not really aiding him very much. “He is afraid to visit there alone.

He reaches up to her hand and sobs away: “Toi-toi…” and she slaps his hand away. ” (Keyes, 55) Charlie was not only put through physical maltreatment and maltreatment but this individual also received emotional maltreatment from the persons at the food handling business by allowing Charlie to trust that he can one of their friends, nevertheless really is not really treated like a friend should certainly and is rather treated because the subject of their very own jokes. “Then Frank Reilly said what did you need to do Charlie open a door the hard way. That made me laff.

All their my friends and they really like me. ” (Keyes, 16) Probably if Charlie’s mother fantastic fellow workers knew even more about his conditions, in that case there might have been less maltreatment and maltreatment toward him. Maybe in the event everyone recognized more about the conditions with the mentally challenged, then there may have been less subjection, for Charlie and other retarded persons, to the various hardships the exist. “It don’t suggest nothing, ” laughed Outspoken. “It don’t hurt him. He don’t know any better. Do you, Steve? ” (Keyes 42) Actually his personal mother did not really generate much of an effort at learning more about her son’s conditions.

The girl did not also want to see the reality of Charlie’s problems and thought that in the event he are not able to do it, your woman had the justification to disregard him. “…go for the washroom. Pass by yourself. Know how to go. ” “Can’t the thing is he wants you to have him. ” (Keyes 53) At times she even tried to beat expertise into him but rather than learning whatever it was his mother was teaching him, he was emotionally scarred. It’s a shame to imagine that the could be occurring anywhere and this it may not only be a story. In Conclusion, Flowers for Algernon assists demonstrate the way the mentally challenged are evaluated and cured badly because of the lack of understanding people have of these.

The prejudice Charlie faces is mainly caused by is brought on by ignorance individuals have of his conditions which eventually leads to his maltreatment. All people is going to take some time to think and learn even more about what is occurring and being done to make psychologically challenged persons go through the a large number of hardships each goes through.