Man's Inhumanity In Daniel Keyes Flowers For Algernon
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“ Mental illness leaves a huge legacy, not just for the person suffering it but for those around them”(Anthony). Many people with mental disabilities are viewed as lower, or less fortunate or more vulnerable to society. Daniel Keyes, the author of Flowers for Algernon, grew up in Springfield Illinois where he was raised by his mother and father. Keyes had written the book for his mother, and it was in memory of his father. Keyes was also inspired to write from numerous events in his own life. For example, his personal conflict with his parents who were pushing him through a pre-medical education in spite of his desire to pursue a writing career. Therefore, he felt that his education was causing many issues, and separating him and his parents and this led him to wonder what would happen if it were possible to increase a person’s intelligence, which relates to the surgery in the story.
The reality of man’s inhumanity to man really shines through in this book. “ And all the time I was tripping because somebody’s foot was always…show more content… " Our relationship is becoming increasingly strained. “I resent Nemur's constant references to me as a laboratory specimen. He makes me feel that before the experiment was not really a human being” (79). Charlie (on this occasion) is still in the hospital where he had received his surgery to convert him into a more intellectual man. He stresses his emotions on the whole experiment, and how he is no longer a human being, but a “test dummy”. "Remembering how my mother looked before she gave birth to my sister is frightening. But even more frightening is the feeling that I wanted them to catch me and beat me. Why did I want to be punished? Shadows out of the past clutch at my legs and drag me down. I open my mouth to scream, but I am voiceless. My hands are trembling, I feel cold, and there is a distant humming in my ears”(92). Charlie often visits a