Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes is a science fiction classic set in southeastern New York, New York City. The fictional prose traces a man's inner psychological journey from a world of retardation to a world of great intelligence. Narrated through a series of empirical "Progress Reports," Flowers for Algernon follows the intellectual and emotional rise and fall of Charlie Gordon, a young man born with an unusually low intelligence quotient (IQ), as he becomes the first human pilot of study for an ambitious brain experiment. Charlie Gordon lives a life of comical, despondent, and derisive experiences as he emerges from mental darkness, through various stages of perceiving and understanding levels of knowledge, into the light of complex perceptions of himself, the people around him, and the world. The matter that lies at the heart of Flowers for Algernon is Charlie Gordon's individual turmoil as he struggles to be recognized and treated as a human being and internal psychological discord. The narrator and central character Charlie Gordon, is a memorable portrait of the isolation of an individual who is at odds with society and who strives to have fulfilling relationships with others. Until the age of thirty-two, Charlie lived in a sort of mental twilight. Impressed by Charlie's motivation to learn, psychiatrist and neurosurgeon, Dr. Strauss and his partner, Professor Nemur, perform an experimental surgical procedure that triples his IQ of 68. Another main character of Flowers for Algernon, Alice Kinnian , a teacher at the Beekman College Center for retarded adults, teaches Charlie to read and write, which slowly turns into affection. However, as is evident, the experiment is flawed and lies...... middle of paper......, this is reflected in his writing. While it is difficult to understand what Charlie is trying to express in the early progress reports, the reports are a great means of facilitating the story. Filled with the anguish of discovery and personal growth, Flowers for Algernon is a sentimental story with a tear-jerking ending, in which Charlie Gordon's plight keeps readers turning the pages. Various symbols are illustrated in the book which portrays alienation and acceptance which alludes to ignorance as a form of bliss. Flowers for Algernon touch on human characteristics such as ambition, pride and emotional development that use the devices of science fiction basics to convey the notions of perception and awareness that most people take for granted..