Daniel Keyes’s science fiction novel Flowers for Algernon (1966) is the story of a man’s journey from having an intellectual disability to gaining extraordinary intelligence—and his regression when an experimental procedure to “correct” his disability goes wrong. Keyes first published a short story titled “Flowers for Algernon” in 1959, which won the Hugo Award for best science fiction short story, before publishing it as a full-length novel, which won the Nebula award for science fiction novel.

This guide references the 1994 Harvest (Harcourt) version of the novel. The novel has never gone out of print, has been made into multiple film and stage adaptations, and has been adopted by many required reading lists. However, the novel has also been viewed as controversial and has frequently been banned for its depiction of explicit sexual content. This guide acknowledges the novel’s depictions of this topic, as well as other difficult material, including abuse, bullying, and terminology that is now considered disrespectful toward people with intellectual and physical disabilities.

Plot Summary

Charlie Gordon, aged 32, has an intellectual disability and an IQ of 68. He lives in New York City and works as a janitor in a bakery owned by Mr. Donner, a friend of Charlie’s uncle who took Charlie in after he was abandoned by his family in youth. A few nights a week, he attends classes at Beekman, a college center for adults with intellectual disabilities. His teacher at the center, Alice Kinnian, notes that Charlie is motivated to learn, and he is chosen for an experimental procedure designed to vastly improve his intelligence. Before the procedure, Charlie is asked to begin recording his thoughts and feelings in a series of progress reports (which he initially spells “progris riport”). The early progress reports, which function as the novel’s chapters, are simple and full of mistakes, but over time, Charlie’s writing becomes far more advanced.

The experimental operation is a success. Charlie and a mouse named Algernon, who received the procedure before him, undergo psychological tests and training. Charlie, like Algernon, begins to make rapid intellectual gains. However, Charlie finds that his emotional development does not match his intellectual growth. He has difficulty understanding how to interpret and respond to other people’s emotions and struggles to control his own. In particular, he has difficulty managing his sexuality; he tries to begin a relationship with Alice but finds that his romantic feelings cause panic. In addition, Charlie’s coworkers at the bakery become resentful of his transformation.

Charlie’s progress reports describe how his emotional and romantic frustrations build, and he also becomes critical of the lab team at Beekman. Long-buried memories of Charlie’s childhood begin to surface. He recalls how his mother shunned him and the pain it caused. Charlie’s issues come to a head when the lab team attends a conference to report their research. At the conference, Charlie becomes angry at being treated like a lab specimen, and escapes with Algernon.

For a time, Charlie lives a different life, developing a friendship with a carefree artist, Fay, who is his neighbor. Charlie becomes weary of partying, and is concerned about Algernon, whose behavior has become erratic. He returns to the Beekman lab and devotes himself to studying intelligence. Algernon loses all of the intellectual gains he had made and dies, devastating Charlie. Charlie realizes that he will meet the same fate as Algernon, and eventually lose his intellect.

Charlie begins to regress back to his former self, losing some of his intellectual gains. The style of the progress reports becomes simpler, as they were at the beginning of the novel. He visits the state-sponsored Warren State Home for people with intellectual disabilities, realizing that he will eventually be sent back there. He unsuccessfully tries to reunite with his father, and in a separate instance visits his mother and sister. While the reunion with his mother and sister does not go how he expected, Charlie finds that he is able to deal with some of the fear and shame that stem from his mother’s mistreatment of him in his youth.

Looking back, Charlie realizes that becoming more intelligent did not in itself make his life better. Charlie is finally able to experience a full relationship with Alice, though their time together is short-lived. Charlie’s decline becomes more rapid, and in a final progress report, knowing he will soon have to go to the Warren State Home, he describes his plight. He asks for others to place flowers on the grave of Algernon, whom Charlie had buried in his backyard.