“14% of all Americans wish they where smart.” Charlie is one of the 14% and he decides to do something about it. In the short story, “Flowers for Algernon” a mouse and a man that have both gotten a procedure that helps them develop a brain that can think faster and helps them both get smarter; along the way the mouse and the man went through many challenges that tested their intelligence and the mouse showed higher scores. In the story, “Flowers for Algernon” Daniel Keyes creates the theme that messing with man’s natural self can be consequential. This surgery was for making the brain smarter and it messed with a man’s natural ability and had consequences that eventually led to death, some other surgeries have consequences like this or less…show more content… Charlie shows this theme by getting the procedure to make him smarter. This procedure can make a person's brain think faster and be able to comprehend information better and more accurately. For example, the man was gradually getting smarter and was put through tests to “beat a smart mouse like Algernon.” He continues to grow throughout the story but eventually he gets to smart and scares his doctors away. This shows the theme by him having less friends as a consequence. Them Algernon portrays the theme, “messing with man’s natural self can be consequential,” is because he dies eventually when the surgery is too overwhelming for the mouse bear. This affects Charlie because he was friends with the mouse and realizes he is going to lose his smartness. At the end of the story Charlie requested to, “leave fresh flowers on Algernon’s grave.” This makes him mad and sad at the same time realizing that he can’t stay smart and might have been better off not having the procedure done. The last way the characters portray the theme is when Charlie find out that he can't be smart forever. The surgery that Dr. Strauss did was only temporary and slowly being reversed, “There are strong indications of progressive amnesia.” This has ab looks on Charlie’s future this consequence could even lead to death. In fact, Charlie says, “I've got to know
