Literary Elements Found in Flowers For Algernon
Diction - Charlie is shown as a mentally impaired man through the author's use of child-like diction showing that Charlie has a low IQ. The author's very child-like diction with many spelling errors started out the book, immediately showing the reader that Charlie is not a normal 32 year old man. On the very first page Charlie writes in his progress report, "I hope they use me becaus Miss Kinnian says mabye they can make me smart." (Keyes 1). Charlie is mentally challenged and can not remember most of the things that he is told or has learned. Very simple and "easy" words are used by the author in this part to show how Charlie writes and thinks like a child. He makes the same errors in spelling just like how a child would.
Syntax - Reader's are able to easily understand Charlie's thought process because of the author's straight forward syntax. The author writes mostly from Charlie's point of view with short and to the point sentences, easily showing reader's Charlie's thought process and how he develops and goes through his adolescence and adulthood rapidly after he gets the surgery. He learns to like the opposite sex not long after his surgery. He says, "Why haven't I ever noticed how beautiful Alice Kantian is?" (76). Daniel Keyes very straight-forwardly said in a short sentence that Charlie thinks Alice is pretty. This makes is clearer and easier for the reader to understand that Charlie is smart enough to have feelings for the opposite gender now.
Tone - Through the author's negative tone towards the character's around Charlie, readers can see that Charlie was made fun of and degraded because of his intellectuality. In the beginning the tone towards other characters was positive because Charlie was not intelligent enough to recognize who his real friends are. Daniel Keyes writes, "Jesus, Frank, why do you always gotta pick on him?" (60). Charlie's so called friends were teasing him and getting away with it because Charlie wasn't smart enough to realize it. After Charlie got the surgery and started to understand what his "friends" at the bakery were doing, he realized that they were never his friends in the first place. He thinks back and starts to actually understand some of the things that his coworkers did to him.
Flashbacks - The author's use of flashbacks in Flowers for Algernon shows how lonely Charlie was as a child. Charlie has many flashbacks and all of them are of traumatizing events and times where he was scared and felt alone. In one of Charlie's flashbacks, "...just a big flashing kitchen knife... and I'm scared and crying but no voice comes out because my neck is cut and I'm bleeding..." (84). In Charlie's flashbacks, all he remembers is the unpleasant events that happened in his life. His childhood was a very sad one compared to most people. Daniel Keyes used flashbacks to take readers back into Charlie's memories in a different and interesting way.
Symbols - Through different symbols the author was able to show Charlie's emotions. At some points in the book, the weather matched Charlie's feelings. When Charlie was fired from the bakery and when he got into a verbal fight with Alice it started to rain. After getting fired from the bakery Charlie goes to find Alice and she says, " 'You're soaked. The water is streaming down your face.' " (108). The rain represents Charlie's heavy heart as he just got fired from the place that he's considered his work place and home since he was young. The weather was a symbol that Daniel Keyes used in order to further represent Charlie's feelings.
Diction - Charlie is shown as a mentally impaired man through the author's use of child-like diction showing that Charlie has a low IQ. The author's very child-like diction with many spelling errors started out the book, immediately showing the reader that Charlie is not a normal 32 year old man. On the very first page Charlie writes in his progress report, "I hope they use me becaus Miss Kinnian says mabye they can make me smart." (Keyes 1). Charlie is mentally challenged and can not remember most of the things that he is told or has learned. Very simple and "easy" words are used by the author in this part to show how Charlie writes and thinks like a child. He makes the same errors in spelling just like how a child would.
Syntax - Reader's are able to easily understand Charlie's thought process because of the author's straight forward syntax. The author writes mostly from Charlie's point of view with short and to the point sentences, easily showing reader's Charlie's thought process and how he develops and goes through his adolescence and adulthood rapidly after he gets the surgery. He learns to like the opposite sex not long after his surgery. He says, "Why haven't I ever noticed how beautiful Alice Kantian is?" (76). Daniel Keyes very straight-forwardly said in a short sentence that Charlie thinks Alice is pretty. This makes is clearer and easier for the reader to understand that Charlie is smart enough to have feelings for the opposite gender now.
Tone - Through the author's negative tone towards the character's around Charlie, readers can see that Charlie was made fun of and degraded because of his intellectuality. In the beginning the tone towards other characters was positive because Charlie was not intelligent enough to recognize who his real friends are. Daniel Keyes writes, "Jesus, Frank, why do you always gotta pick on him?" (60). Charlie's so called friends were teasing him and getting away with it because Charlie wasn't smart enough to realize it. After Charlie got the surgery and started to understand what his "friends" at the bakery were doing, he realized that they were never his friends in the first place. He thinks back and starts to actually understand some of the things that his coworkers did to him.
Flashbacks - The author's use of flashbacks in Flowers for Algernon shows how lonely Charlie was as a child. Charlie has many flashbacks and all of them are of traumatizing events and times where he was scared and felt alone. In one of Charlie's flashbacks, "...just a big flashing kitchen knife... and I'm scared and crying but no voice comes out because my neck is cut and I'm bleeding..." (84). In Charlie's flashbacks, all he remembers is the unpleasant events that happened in his life. His childhood was a very sad one compared to most people. Daniel Keyes used flashbacks to take readers back into Charlie's memories in a different and interesting way.
Symbols - Through different symbols the author was able to show Charlie's emotions. At some points in the book, the weather matched Charlie's feelings. When Charlie was fired from the bakery and when he got into a verbal fight with Alice it started to rain. After getting fired from the bakery Charlie goes to find Alice and she says, " 'You're soaked. The water is streaming down your face.' " (108). The rain represents Charlie's heavy heart as he just got fired from the place that he's considered his work place and home since he was young. The weather was a symbol that Daniel Keyes used in order to further represent Charlie's feelings.