Essay Flowers for Algernon “Eagar, Determined and Motivated:” these three words describe Charlie Gordon in Daniel Keyes' story “Flowers for Algernon”. Daniel Keyes writes about a thirty-two-year-old man with a low IQ (Charlie Gordon) who strives to become "normal." Charlie will do anything to become smarter, even letting two doctors perform brain surgery to improve his learning ability. Charlie evolves throughout the novel and by the end of his journey, although his IQ is low, he is a more well-rounded person. He learns the true meaning of friendship and demonstrates intellectual growth as a person by overcoming obstacles and understanding various lessons. Friendship consists of expectations, perceptions and its importance. Gimpy, Frank and Joe (his so-called friends) are the ideal people to observe in the novel in the perception of friendship. Before the operation, these men were his best friends. He loved working at Mr. Donner's bakery and looked forward to spending time with them. After the operation, Charlie realizes their relationship in a different light and recognizes that these men were never his real friends. Not only were they made fun of him, but he was often used for their entertainment. When Charlie is at work, Gimpy tries to make fun of him by saying "Ernie, for God's sake, you're trying to be a Charlie Gordon" (Keyes, 23), which is what they say at new employee when he makes a delivery error. This statement reveals that Gimpy is inconsiderate because he makes fun of a retarded human being who considers Gimpy his best friend. When he realizes that they were not his friends, their friendship ends. The first book Charlie reads after his operation (Robinson Crusoe) foreshadows a confrontation he will encounter in the middle of a paper......once thought of. Charlie's biggest step toward intellectual growth occurred during an argument with Professor Nemur after the cocktail party. Nemur says, “We had no control over… your personality… you went from a nice, retarded young man to an arrogant, self-centered, antisocial bastard” (Keyes, 247). These points put forward by Professor Nemur are powerful enough to completely change Charlie's perception. In fact, Charlie realizes that he doesn't need to be arrogant or inconsiderate to grow intellectually. In conclusion, Charlie Gordon faces many obstacles throughout his journey. By learning the true meaning of friendship and growing intellectually, he is able to overcome all his challenges. Ultimately, this novel was a great science fiction story with amazing life lessons and great motivators to strive to become who you want to be. Works CitedFlowers for Algernon By Daniel Keyes