The work "Flowers for Algernon" can be attributed to a science fiction drama. However, the element of fantasy there is small and secondary, and the dramatic component is in the foreground.

The presentation of the content in the novel comes from the perspective of a 32-year-old man named Charlie Gordon, who is mentally retarded. He had a unique chance: to undergo a brain operation that will allow him to raise his intellect to a normal level, before him this operation was performed by a mouse named Algernon, whose intellectual abilities have increased significantly. Charlie keeps a diary in which he writes down his impressions, and the very first entries begin from the preoperative state, they are distinguished by complete illiteracy and a lack of understanding of the essence of what is happening around. Charlie really wants to become smart, learn to communicate normally with people. The operation is successful, and the protagonist's intelligence begins to grow at an incredible pace. Grammar becomes perfect, and thoughts become deeper from record to record. In a few months, Gordon becomes a brilliant scientist, whose intellect rises above the people he wanted to be like before the operation. However, in the mechanism of changing brain activity, a mistake was made that made the reverse regression of mental abilities irreversible. Charlie is aware of this but can't help it, losing his genius every day and falling into amnesia. Over time, the style of his reports becomes poorer, he again forgets punctuation, grammar, and becomes the same person that he was before the operation.

The novel is quite easy to digest, and, at first glance, nothing but this sad story, it cannot be seen. But is it? In fact, there are many philosophical ideas, which immediately rush into the eyes trained in a deep analysis of literature. The philosophical message of the work can be divided into several levels.

First you need to highlight some irrational notes. As his rationality grows, Charlie begins to become more and more alienated from people. He is constantly told that during his mental retardation he was good-natured, smiling, had many friends. But he perfectly understands what was the price of this “friendship”. If a person who is always smiling is a degenerate, then, of course, he will constantly be in the company of other people. But what is the price of such sociality? It consists in the fact that Charlie attracted people to him only because he was an eternal whipping boy and a clown, was an easy target for the constant mockery of others. In fact, this “sociality” is still the same alienation, only not realized by a mentally retarded person. Becoming reasonable, Charlie realized it and the alienation of everything just became more immediate. A person removes alienation in joint mental and practical activities, but the peculiarity modern society is such that neither a one-sided fool nor a brilliant scientist can do it simply because they do not correspond to the average level of one-sided development of other people.

Stupidity is sincere and understandable. Genius is complex, inaccessible, and therefore terrible. Stupidity attracts. Genius is repulsive. The first is directed at the happy ignorance of the loving idiot. The second - to the infinity of knowledge in the horror of loneliness. Make a choice!

Another irrationalist message is more true. In the novel, the lagging of Charlie's sensual content from the rational one is constantly noticed. Intelligence can be increased by locking yourself in the library behind books. But the sensual side of a person can develop only in the constant practice of communicating with people. The operation sharply accelerated the growth of intellectual abilities, but the skills of interpersonal relations remained at the level of the child's development, and no operation could force their growth. Charlie constantly suffers from this, and this is especially evident in his experience with women, in how he cannot build normal relationships with them at first. “Pure” reason in itself is not capable of much without the development of other aspects of a person. Intellectual one-sidedness is not as harmful as sensual one-sidedness, when a person is stupid, but subtly understands the vicissitudes of interpersonal relations, but, nevertheless, it also leads to sad results and the destruction of a person.

A person who has a mind, but is deprived of the ability to love and be loved, is doomed to an intellectual and moral catastrophe, and perhaps even to a difficult one. mental illness. In addition, I argue that the brain closed on itself is not capable of giving others anything, only pain and violence. When I was weak-minded, I had many friends. Now I don't have them. Oh, I know a lot of people, but they are just acquaintances, and among them there is almost no person who would mean anything to me or who is interested in me.

But, one way or another, behind all the above irrationalistic motives, rationalistic ideas pass through the entire novel as a main line. Although in a sense Charlie became a stranger to people, but at the same time he became closer to them. If before his closeness to others was similar to the closeness of a monkey in a zoo to his visitors, then after the operation everyone began to treat him as a person, and not a toy for a laughing stock. Albeit to a controversial person, not always the most pleasant for others, but still a person. His scientific activity he did a far greater service to humanity than by entertaining crowds of onlookers.

Nemours makes the same mistake as people who make fun of an underdeveloped person, without realizing that he is experiencing the same feelings as they are. He does not realize that long before I met him, I was already a person.

Although Charlie considered himself unreasonable as a complete person, but this was not so. Yes, even then he had his own experiences, feelings, awareness of some things. But in a person, the determining side is his mind, and only with full-fledged intellectual activity, with sufficient reflection and socialization, a person becomes a full-fledged personality. And Charlie's socialization itself really began only after gaining reasonableness. The intellect, as it were, began to pull the rest of Charlie's personality with it, and although they needed independent development, it was the mind that gave impetus to this development, which clearly shows its defining role in a person. Emotionality is also rigidly tied to the development of the intellect; in the case of Charlie, the mind, as it were, filled an empty vessel of sensory experiences. The deeper consciousness reflects the world, the more diverse its emotional experience.

It is also worth paying attention to the ridicule of religiosity. If Charlie the idiot knew neither science nor art, but was sure of the existence of God, then Charlie the genius, on the contrary, considered religious problems too insignificant and meaningless, and all his attention was focused on scientific problems. An interesting scene in the bakery, where a woman convinced Gordon that by ceasing to be mentally retarded, he violated his divine destiny, which is written in his fate. Religiosity always puts shackles on a person that does not allow him to rise above his current level of development, metaphysically denies the need for self-improvement.

In conclusion, we can say that this novel, which shows the rise and fall of the human spirit, makes one think about how great is the role of the mind in a person, how much intellectual development transforms a person and radically changes relationships with people. The rationalistic orientation of this work becomes clear in its philosophical analysis, but at the same time, the author well shows the limitations of “pure” rationalism and makes it clear that the other aspects of a person are relatively independent and cannot be reduced to just one rational activity.

Maximilian Sergeev

Daniel Keyes is a well-known author of fantasy stories and novels, and almost everyone knows him as the author of the science fiction novel Flowers for Algernon. Initially, this was short story, which was published in one of the science fiction magazines back in 1959. Later, the author finalized his story, adding it to a full-fledged novel.

Subsequently, the plot of this novel was used to create several films and theatrical performances. In addition, the plot of the novel "Flowers for Algernon" overlaps significantly with the plot of the film "The Lawnmower Man".

The plot and history of the creation of the science fiction novel "Colors for Algernon"

The history of the science fiction novel Flowers for Algernon began in 1945, when Keys' parents insisted that he take courses for future medical students. It was then that the writer himself first thought about increasing intelligence. However, the main events that influenced the creation of the novel "Flowers for Algernon" occurred already in 1957 - then the writer taught English language at a school where children with disabilities were educated intellectual abilities, while one of his students was interested in whether he could study in regular school if you work hard and get smarter.

In 1958, the writer finished work on the story "Flowers for Algernon." He first approached Galaxy Science Fiction, but the editor there wanted to change the ending of the story. He insisted that at the end of the story, the main character stay smart and marry Alice Kinnian. However, Keys insisted on his version of the end of the story, much darker. As a result, the story was published in the journal Fantasy & Science Fiction.

The writer began to refine the story in 1962, while he completed work on a full-fledged novel already in 1965.

As probably all fans of science fiction know, the main character of the novel "Flowers for Algernon" is Charlie Gordon, a mentally retarded janitor. He agrees to take part in the experiment, hoping that as a result of this experiment, his intelligence will increase significantly.

The experiment is being carried out by Dr. Strauss and Nemur - they have developed a surgical method with which you can increase intelligence. The first experiment was carried out on a mouse named Algernon. After that, they decided to perform a similar operation on Charlie, who had long wanted to become smarter.

The whole story is built as reports that Charlie writes about his condition, while as the intellect develops, not only the spelling and punctuation errors in these reports disappear, but the style also becomes much more complicated.

Having become smarter, Charlie realizes that those whom he previously considered friends are constantly laughing at him, making cruel jokes that he used to perceive as normal.

After a while, Algernon's intelligence begins to decline rapidly, and then the mouse dies altogether. The studies that Charlie himself was able to conduct showed that a rapid decline in intelligence is inevitable, respectively, sooner or later Charlie's intelligence will drop to its previous level. Until the very end, he tries to fight it, but nothing comes of it.

Review of the science fiction novel "Flowers for Algernon"

It is said that people whose intelligence is very low, like crazy people, are happy, because they know nothing about reality, they live in their own worlds, where there is no place for reality. On the other hand, each person creates for himself his own world, his own illusions, which no one likes to destroy.

At the very beginning of the book, the protagonist is convinced that smart people so many friends that they are never alone. Later, he, along with readers, realizes that this is far from being the case. Moreover, the author himself repeatedly mentions Adam and Eve - they ate the fruits from the Tree of Knowledge, because of which they lost their paradise, and they just wanted to know the Truth, that is, to become smarter.

As you read Flowers for Algernon, the reader is asked the question: is it better to be stupid and have many friends, or be a genius who cannot get along with any person?

As you read the book, you also come to the realization that, perhaps, being too smart is not very good. So, the main character at the very beginning of the novel and at the very end was a very kind, calm, albeit stupid person. But after increasing intelligence, he lost his faith in people, which killed his kindness, even humanity. As a result, genius Charlie appears to readers as a selfish, embittered, intolerant man who almost constantly thinks about how he wants to punch someone. If you compare Genius Charlie and Charlie the Fool, then it seems that it was Charlie the Fool who was the Man.

Charlie's diary entries are written very believably. Moreover, when reading the notes of Charlie the Fool, an irresistible desire arises to get to know him - he is seen as incredibly bright, clean and kind person who truly loves the people around him.

It is also worth noting that, despite the fact that the novel was originally conceived as a short story, and only after its publication grew into a full-fledged novel, there are no voids in the plot - it is solid.

The novel "Flowers for Algernon" is very sad and realistic. And it cannot be attributed exclusively to science fiction, since to a much greater extent it is a psychological novel that reveals human psychology, showing without embellishment all the weaknesses of people, revealing complexes that suddenly arise. And this novel, among other things, makes readers think about the extent to which it is possible to interfere in the affairs of nature, where is the very line that cannot be crossed.

One of the most popular works modernity. If you look at various polls in VK on the topic “What is your favorite book?”, then on average every third or fifth person names exactly her. The work is included in the mandatory reading program for American schools, but it has spread throughout the world, and in Russia it occupies no less places of honor, even though it has not yet entered the school curriculum. What is the secret of this captivating book, written more than half a century ago, in 1959?

As I began to read it, I involuntarily thought about To Kill a Mockingbird" Harper Lee (by the way, written in 1960, almost the same age as " Flowers”), recognized by many statisticians and magazines as the most significant book in America, touching the souls of the entire globe, but not making a special impression on me. I was afraid to face the same because " To Kill a Mockingbird' has somewhat lost its relevance. The problem of racism in the United States, although not completely eliminated, but equality of rights won there, and everything else remains at the level of human morality, not legislation. Yes, perhaps, nationalism and racism are unlikely to ever disappear from humanity, because there is something in the very nature of people that rejects “strangers”, and only spiritually high or, at least, educated individuals can overcome this. But where can we find a society that would consist of such people?

In addition, the struggle for equal rights in the States as a whole is completed, and does not have the sharpness that it was when it was written " To Kill a Mockingbird”, the writing style was extremely simple. The narration was conducted on behalf of a little girl, which determined the general manner. All this together did not allow me to feel the depth of the book. And so, " Flowers for Algernon».

They have not lost their relevance at all. The plot, the meaning and the overall message affect exactly what is still very far from an exhaustive presentation. First of all, it's immorality. scientific knowledge. Many science fiction writers, both ours like S. Pavlov, and the same American ones, like K. Vonnegut, wrote that science is evil, if not in plain text, then with conclusions that can be drawn in the finals of their works. To what extent can the research and curiosity of scientists go without violating human morality and without invading where it is already indecent to study something, and creating something new is criminal. Enough examples of atomic bomb or human cloning. In Asia, for example, the idea of ​​a human robot who acquires the ability to feel and love is popular, which is often reflected in films and TV shows. Is it humane to program someone for feelings, to invade consciousness? There are many questions. " Flowers for Algernon” tells about an experiment, which consists in making an intelligent person out of a weak-minded person, thanks to a surgical operation. As usual, the goal seems high and noble, the result is worthy, but still something goes wrong. This something lies in the fact that knowledge ceases to be an absolute and a measure of happiness and well-being. Even becoming a genius from a person with the lowest IQ, the main character does not feel satisfied, and his loneliness and restlessness become a real personal tragedy. And this is the second beautiful thought of the book: the mind is not only without morality, but also without feelings, such as respect, trust, love and understanding - nothing, about which there is a phrase that reason without feelings is not worth a penny.

But I was captivated by a completely different idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthis book. It seems to me that not all readers notice it, not everyone pays attention to it. A lot of people talk about Flowers"almost like the fate of the mouse Algernon, about which, in fact, there are ten paragraphs in the book and it will be typed. The death of a mouse, with all my love for animals, is not written in a sentimental way, but somehow predetermined and natural, which causes agreement with this, as with deliverance, and not tears. It seemed to me that I found a different background in the author's text. Keyes tells us not only about the gravity of the mind and its development. Moreover, I still sum up after thinking about the book that the mind is wonderful, and it is possible and necessary to develop your mind, you will not become unhappy from this. It's just about something else, that a person's emotional understanding does not depend on the level of intelligence, and most people, whether they are stupid or smart, do not try to understand others. They are interested in understanding objects, sciences, the essence of phenomena, they are trying to understand the mystery of the universe or God, but no one cares about understanding a person nearby and working on it. At the same time, everyone wants to be understood by others.

Charlie Gordon - the main character, being weak-minded, considered those around him his friends, not realizing that they were laughing at him, and when he grew wiser, he found enemies in the person of those people, not only because he realized that they were mocking him, but also because ceased to be a laughingstock and deprived people of the opportunity to rise at his expense. The professors who worked on the experiment centered on him, Charlie, began to dislike him as soon as he surpassed them in intelligence. He took away their sense of superiority. In essence, the mind was a joy to him, but a cause of envy and hatred for others.

I had thought about the question of the main motivation of people before, but here somehow it all took shape in a solid and convincing picture. Z. Freud argued that the engine of everything in people is the sexual instinct, but Adler objected that in fact the primary desire in people is the desire for power. And I have always agreed with him more than with Freud. What is power? This is not only a title or position, but superiority, the ability to suppress another and dispose of it at your discretion. At the same time, both strength, intelligence, and beauty, of course, which awakens the sexual instinct, act, yes, but for what purpose? Take possession and own, gain power.

But what I noticed personal experience, and it is also shown in " Flowers is that the most difficult thing for people is to admit their stupidity. It is much easier to admit their ugliness, their physical weakness or poverty, but no one has ever sincerely and honestly admitted in my lifetime that he is more stupid than someone else. As if stupidity isn't as obvious as fat thighs, a hump, or an empty wallet. There were two acquaintances in my life who liked to pour phrases like "I'm stupid", most often the bold admission "I'm stupid" acted as an unwillingness to correct or admit mistakes. Not being able to explain some things, not always being able to understand someone or something, they preferred to close the topic or even the conversation with a humble “yes, I know, I'm stupid”. But, interestingly, while allegedly admitting their inadequacy in knowledge, these acquaintances were the most irreconcilable fighters against advice from outside. They never listened to someone else's opinion and preferred to break off friendship in the event that they tried to explain or advise something. But wouldn't a person who admits that he is a fool want to get help from more intelligent people? Therefore, I always consider such confessions hypocritical. Behind them lies the usual "shut up and don't be smart, I myself know how to do it." Why is the realization that knowledge is not enough so painfully perceived by people? What does someone else know and understand? Unfortunately, the answer to this in " Flowers No, but I really want everyone who reads this book to find in it a desire to understand people and soberly assess their capabilities. If a weak person sees a strong man lifting huge weights, he will not run up and pull them unsuccessfully, saying that he is no weaker. Why, then, this strong man, most often, when faced with a well-read and experienced person, will try with all his might to show that the other, smart one is just an upstart and half-wit, and he, the strong man, knows everything just as well. There are exceptions, of course, but most people are. And yet, what else to expect from stupidity, as misunderstanding? And this, as for me, is the true tragedy revealed in " Flowers for Algernon”, the tragedy of all people in general, who always want to see someone worse than themselves, they somehow become calmer from this. That's why Charlie Gordon became angry and unhappy, because he began to understand everyone, and he was surrounded by stupid misunderstanding.

The work is meaningful and deep, but, as I noted above, not everyone will read everything in it, not everyone will notice all the underlying problems. And I would very much like that after " Colors”In public, they shared their impressions not about the mouse, but about how much it is necessary to hear better, understand others, and be able to sympathize with them. Yes, the analogy between an animal and an imbecile is appropriate in the book, it is not new or original, but it does not eliminate the troubles of cruelty and arrogance towards such creatures.

In conclusion, I would say that I am satisfied with the book and glad that I read it. It is written in the same "simple" American style. There is some characteristic brevity in the construction of texts American classics the second half of the 20th century, the availability of presentation and the shortness of sentences (long ones are rare) are like a kind of hallmark of the spirit of the United States, hasty, progressive and democratic, where everything is to the point and without unnecessary lyrics. It seemed to me that in Flowers”also traces the influence on Daniel Keyes W. Faulkner, mentioned in the work, as one of the authors read by Charlie Gordon. Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury" has the same outline as in " Flowers”, the novel begins with a narration from the point of view of an imbecile, but if Faulkner divides everything into presentation from different persons (idiot, smarter, even smarter), then Keyes combined it all into one person.

In the finale, I must admit, I was expecting something similar to the 2014 film Lucy, but it was not like that. However, the end was still logical and justified. And therefore I can definitely evaluate - it's worth reading! As for the elevation to the rank of favorite books - no, it deserves to be read once and thoroughly thought over, but the hand will not reach out to re-read at least a second time. This is a text that looks through the first time, and in a direct, linear presentation there is no subtlety to savor and find fresh thoughts, make discoveries. From the first time, with sufficient care, everything can be removed from this book.

Novel "Flowers for Algernon" summary which will be considered, for more than forty years all over the world was considered a fantastic work.

On a par with him, you can put the story of John Nash from A Beautiful Mind or the movie story of Good Hunting. All these stories require serious analysis and are not suitable for fun family viewing.

We are starting a story about people with fantastically trained minds. Let's see how wonderful science is.

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes

In English, the name sounds like this: "Flowers for Algernon". central theme books of "flowers" - the attitude of people to psychologically inferior subjects of society, their treatment and adaptation.

How can the events of the past affect an individual person for the rest of his life? An example from a story that is being touted as science fiction.

The story was written in 1958 while traveling in America and published in 1960 in Fantasy & Science Fiction. After the next publication in the 66th year, the novel made its author the winner of the prestigious award "For the best novel".

Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes is just over 300 pages long. You can read it in a week or in one day, if you really get carried away.

Main characters

Main actors:

1. Charlie Gordon an adult with phenylketonuria. Lives and works in New York. Main character(the narrator of the story) who volunteers to undergo brain enhancement surgery.
2. Alice Kinnian- a female teacher from the Beekman center, where Charlie studies. She recommends her student as a volunteer.
3. Faye Lillman— an unusual neighbor. Artist by profession. Is in a romantic relationship with Charlie while the hero's IQ is at genius level.
4. Rose Gordon- Charlie's mother. Appears for the first time as a flashback to a troubled childhood. By the end of the work, she becomes an obsessed elderly woman.
5. Norma Gordon- younger sister. "Mirror" reflection of the mother in relation to her brother. Selfish and spoiled girl.
6. G. Nemours and D. Strauss- psychiatrist and neurosurgeon senior group experimenters whom Charlie initially respects, and later suspects of self-interest.

Minor characters

There are also:

1. Bert Selden— laboratory assistant and junior member research group. Charlie considers him a friend for some time. As it turns out later, there was no devotion in their friendship.
2. Mr. Donner- The owner of the bakery. Becomes the guardian of the protagonist. Charlie treats him like a father. The only one in the novel who cared about a psychologically handicapped guy.
3. lame- a baker with a leg injury. Sympathizes with Charlie and becomes not just a protector, but also a friend. After the friendship is broken about treason.
4. Fanny Berdin is the employee who is the first to feel that change could be dangerous for Charlie. Soon her fears will be confirmed.
5. Mrs Mooney- at the stage of regression and complete isolation from friends, Charlie plays the role of a housewife.
6. Ray Winslow & Thelma psychologist and housekeeper public institution Warren. The main consolation for Charlie is a meeting with them.

Brief retelling of "Flowers for Algernon"

Charlie Gordon is a 32-year-old man with an IQ of 68 and suffers from phenylketonuria (a hereditary disease). He spends most of his time at work in the bakery.

Desire to deepen your knowledge and experience the world force him to attend reading and writing classes at the Beekman Learning Center. There is an acquaintance with the teacher A. Kinnian.

According to a quote from the novel itself, it is clear that education burdens the hero:

“Now I understand that one of the important reasons for going to college and getting an education is to understand that the things you have believed all your life are not true and that nothing is what it seems.”

Two talented researchers of the training center - Nemours and Strauss - performed an operation on a mouse named Algernon (Algernon or Algernon). As a result, the mental abilities of the animal improved.

In search of a volunteer for a new operation, they turn to Alice. Based on her recommendations and the student's current achievements, Charlie is selected for the procedure.

After a successful operation, Charlie's IQ approached 185. True, the jump in intelligence provoked an internal conflict: understanding the world and further studying the world around him worsened the hero's relationship with people.

In the bakery where Charlie works, fear is born. Accustomed to having fun at the expense of the mentally retarded, colleagues persuade the boss to fire him.

Charlie begins to confront his science mentors. He suspects that Dr. Nemour's condescending attitude is concern for the lab facility, and not for the person he was before the operation.

Another quote illustrates what the increase in IQ did for him:

“Intelligence is one of the greatest human gifts. But all too often the search for knowledge crowds out the search for love ... Intelligence without the ability to give and receive affection leads to mental and moral breakdown, to neurosis, and perhaps even psychosis.

Algernon lives in the apartment of the main character, becomes an object of observation and an occasion for reports. Charlie uses the time allotted to him to search for flaws in the theory of both scientists. The mental improvement may be short-lived, and the patient will soon return to his original psychological state.

This conclusion is confirmed by the non-standard behavior of the mouse, the loss of intellectual development and death.

When the hero's abilities begin to degrade, he has no choice but to try to restore relations with his parents. He recalls how as a boy he lost his father and mother because of his illness. Charlie's mother lives in a Brooklyn old house for a long time, where she develops dementia and acknowledges her son, briefly.

All that remains for him is only to establish contact with his younger sister, who disliked him because of a psychological deviation. On this moment her attitude towards her brother changes and she invites him to stay with her family. Charlie refuses, paying off her.

The life of a genius is over, and the hero of the novel returns to his former life leaving only memories. The pity of friends and colleagues becomes unbearable and leads him to the state-sponsored Warren School.

In the final report, Charlie asks for flowers to be brought to Algernon's mouse grave.

Analysis of the work "Flowers for Algernon"

The analysis of the book is based on the opinions of people from the United States and Russia.

The text of the original story, and after taking the form of a novel, is extremely difficult to read.

Keyes, being a philologist, describes the changes associated with Charlie's psyche in the form of reports that are riddled with errors. Subsequently, the intelligence of the protagonist is reflected in the quality of the text.

Flowers for Algernon is a book that says, "I want you to question everything you know." An important point is the search fact.

The hero is looking for an undeniable, crystal-clear message of humanity, measured not by IQ, but by kindness.

With an IQ of 185, Charlie feels more lonely than when he scored only 68 on this test. He withdraws from his friends and becomes depressed. However, isolation helps him realize himself as a person, and not as a laboratory animal. He is still the same, whether smart or stupid.

Desire to forge inner world, to become someone else in many ways better than before - this can be called the “C. Gordon effect”.

What's wrong with Keyes' novel? It is necessary to sort out the shortcomings from the definition of the genre. Daniel's Flower is the first and only book not to be recommended on the school's required reading list. For several years, this work was withdrawn from the American program and stores.

Non-science fiction, as the genre is defined on the Internet, in which throughout the book there is not a single serious theory, not a single interesting experiment from the point of view of science.

The Library Association of America included "Flowers" in the list of the most controversial books from 90 to 99. The main factor for the removal of the book from school libraries became a fragment of the novel, where Charlie tries to express his sexual fantasies and desires.

Screen adaptation of the novel by D. Keyes

There were a little less than twenty different adaptations of this novel. Popularity came in the 60s:

1. 1968 film "Charly". The leading actor was K. Robertson, who received an Oscar in the Best Actor nomination.
2. 1969 play directed by David Rogers.

Most interesting film based on the novel "Flowers for Algernon" (2000) with an imdb rating of 6.8 was filmed by D. Bleckner(famous for the movie "Hill Street Blues").

Here's what the abstract looks like:

“Charlie Gordon is retarded and all he wants in life is to be a genius. When he is chosen for an experimental operation, it seems to him that the dream will finally come true.

Conclusion

When you buy another book in a bookstore, the first thing you read is the description. The mention of a weak-minded hero can alienate the reader. It's better to watch the movie version.

You should not look for rare tapes of the 60s. Pay attention to the latest adaptations. For example, the series "Flowers of Algernon", filmed in Japan in 2015.

I read a book about Ivan the Terrible, and then something from Leo Tolstoy, and somewhere along the way I thought about the relationship between morality and intelligence. In particular, why was Ivan the Terrible so unjustifiably cruel? And why did the people around him put up with it? Why at all in leadership positions different levels are stupid or cruel people? What are smart and kind people doing at this time? And the kind (on the example of Leo Tolstoy's characters) most often live their quiet happiness in the outback, and do not interfere in political affairs. What about smart ones? (By "mind" I mean only intellect). And then I very successfully came across the book by Daniel Keyes "Flowers for Algernon" - about a weak-minded guy from birth, who at the age of 32 underwent brain surgery, as a result of which he turned from a fool into a genius, and then degraded back.

This is not a retelling of the content, these are my notes in the margins of the book, which have one goal: to determine the connection between intelligence and morality.

This guy, Charlie Gordon, was stupid and loved everyone. His bakery colleagues tripped and laughed, he fell and laughed with them. Nothing kept in his head, he quickly forgot fears and resentments.

But then he wised up a little and managed to work on some kind of mixer, got a promotion, and the guys disliked him. They said: "Do you think that you have become smarter than us, and therefore cooler ?!". Although he didn't seem to think or say anything like that. It's just that his intellect hit him on self-esteem. Long story short, he got kicked out of the bakery and had no friends left.

"The mind drove a wedge between me and everyone I knew and loved, kicked me out of the house."

Were these people true friends to him? I think no. But weak-minded Charlie loved them, and was not alone.
Did they love him? No. They asserted themselves at his expense and had fun, thus making their little world cozy. And limited.

Does the ability to love depend on intelligence? THE FORM OF MANIFESTATION OF LOVE DEPENDS ON INTELLIGENCE: from blind affection to mutual interest and respect.

Charlie then begins to develop feelings for Alice. Love was before, but unconscious, and he showed it only in an effort to please the teacher with his academic success. Now he wants to spend time with Alice and make love. Moreover, he appreciates sex with Alice more than sex with Faye. He says it's "more than sex".

Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of the KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL and were kicked out of paradise (like Charlie from the bakery?). Daniel Keyes is not accidentally draws attention to this. Does this mean heaven is the opposite of intellect? and the knowledge of good and evil - on the contrary, is connected with the intellect?

One way or another, but "simultaneously with the movement of the mind forward, my feelings for Alice diminished - from admiration - to love, to gratitude, and, finally, to simple gratitude." Charlie learned twenty foreign languages, studied scientific papers in physics and microbiology, and Alice was still a teacher at a school for the mentally retarded. She did not keep up with the course of his thoughts and did not know all these complex terms. They were separated, as they say, not by an abyss, but by a difference in levels. Charlie comes to loneliness.

"Loneliness allows me to calmly think, read and delve into memories ...". It becomes difficult for him to communicate with people (and people find it difficult to communicate with him), but this does not scare him. He is engrossed in work.

"I am at the very top and I am aware of it. Everyone around me seems to be killing myself with work, but they do not understand that now I live at the very top of clarity and beauty, which I did not even suspect existed. All my components are tuned to work. During the day I absorb, and in the evenings - in the moments before falling asleep - ideas explode in my head like fireworks. There is no greater pleasure in the world.

Scientists-doctors from his laboratory call him "arrogant, selfish, anti-social son of a bitch", but I tend to think that envy and hurt self-esteem speak in them. Just as the guys in the bakery could not accept the wiser Charlie, so the professors are aggressive when he outgrows them and finds errors in their scientific papers.

Being at the peak of his mind and moving away from everyone into loneliness, Charlie speaks ... about love! and exalts her to heaven. And this is extremely important.

“I propose a working hypothesis: a person who has a mind, but is deprived of the ability to love and be loved, is doomed to an intellectual and moral catastrophe, and perhaps to a serious psychological illness. In addition, I argue that a brain closed on itself is not able to give others nothing but pain and violence."

"The universe is expanding - each particle is moving away from the other, throwing us into a dark and lonely space, tearing us away: a child from a mother, a friend from a friend, directing each along his own path to the only goal - death alone. Love is the counterbalance to this horror, love - an act of unity and preservation. Like people during a storm hold hands so that they are not torn apart and washed away into the sea."

Here's what Charlie says at the height of his intellect, absorbed in work and alone, when his feelings for Alice have turned into "mere gratitude." He calls love the only salvation, but love did not happen to him. Why?

The degradation begins, and Charlie becomes irritable. This is quite understandable to me: his brain still remembers the pleasure from "the very pinnacle of beauty and clarity", but can no longer experience it again. Breaking, as from a lack of drugs, nicotine, sex ... and not at all from the fact that he became evil. We all get angry when we have withdrawal.

And during this period, Charlie again has Alice. They come to feed him and put things in order, endure his tantrums. She loves him. Loved then, and loves now. And she did not need to climb "the very pinnacle of beauty and clarity" to love. Love is not connected with the intellect, it is available even to the weak-minded. But I repeat: manifestations of love are connected with the intellect: "from worship - to love, to gratitude, and, finally, to simple gratitude."

He returned to the bakery and the guys took him in again. And even began to protect from other bad guys. So they saw themselves as heroes. But the motive of their act is not morality, but pity and vanity.

Alice was moral.

But Charlie took no pity from anyone and dumped him in a home for the feeble-minded.

"It's very easy to have friends if you let yourself be laughed at."

This is where the book ends. And after thinking for a couple more days, this is what I realized: intelligence and morality are not directly related and have different roots in our brain (as I understood from documentary film, in general, everything in our life has its roots in the brain: our abilities, talents, physical strength, determination, mathematical skills, ear for music etc. - everything from the brain).

From the very first grade of school and the next 15 years, intelligence is pumped into us: to know, remember, count, teach ... Morality is closer to feelings and emotionality. to the right hemisphere. Creativity, artistic and musical education. I would venture to suggest that sports too.

So, at the age of 22, we have developed intelligence. And he has ideas about "good" and "bad", obtained from morality, from the media, films and books, from the experience of behavior in society (let me remind you that morality and morality are different concepts. Morality is a characteristic of society, i.e. society's ideas of "good" and "bad" For example, European morality is normal for girls in short shorts, morality United Arab Emirates- doesn't allow it. Morality is your personal ideas about "good" and "bad", i.e. how do you personally feel about girls in short shorts, whether in Europe or in Dubai). The intellect has learned this morality like a paragraph in a textbook. And each time faced with a "moral" choice, a person solves the test: his intellect looks for matches of possible behaviors with moral norms (partly this is education and politeness).

The more developed the intellect, the more cunning plan he will be able to draw up, providing for all possible options, so that morality cannot reproach him from all sides. Crafty mind.

That is, the intellect is looking for moves in the maze.

True morality operates by intuition, not by inference. These people simply know what is good and what is bad (and most often everything is good for them), and cannot logically explain why.

Uneducated people are often kinder (for example, villagers). In the absence of intelligence, their brain unconsciously seeks support, a "guiding star", and develop this instinct in themselves - morality.

A high degree of development of this "sense" is wisdom. It is the ability to look at the maze from above.

Summarizing. Civilization and education pump intellect in us. Morality remains in its infancy. It's like in sports: a large and strong muscle always strives to take on the load, and a small and weak one remains idle. We are losing culture.

But realizing this whole situation, each of us, in principle, can create conditions for the development of morality. Many Eastern meditation practices teach to "turn off the mind." This way you can open the way for creativity. I am convinced that in time humanity will pay attention to right hemisphere, and for its development will be given as much attention as for the left. Surely, this will find many ways of practical application. Fantasts persistently prophesy people the ability to telepathy, and this is perhaps only the smallest thing.