Mentally Disabled

Consider how Flowers for Algernon explores social issues concerning the handicapped. Does the novel have a particular argument? If so, how does it set about making it?

The novel Flowers for Algernon, written by Daniel Keyes, explores different issues throughout its course. One of the most prevalent and obvious issues is the concern about the mentally challenged or handicapped. Keyes presents two different arguments relating to the way handicapped people are treated. The author’s argument regarding the mistreatment of the mentally challenged evolves through the novel.

The author explores how the mistreatment of mentally challenged people is still socially acceptable in today’s society. Through the book, Daniel Keyes presents many scenarios of how handicapped people are treated on a daily bases. For example, when Charlie goes to a diner, he gets a glimpse of how he was treated just months before. In the diner, a handicapped boy who works as a busboy is laughed at after dropping a stack of dishes. Charlie finds himself laughing along with the others, but soon realizes that the boy is mentally challenged. Charlie, angered by the laughter, shouts: “Shut up! Leave him alone! He can’t understand. He can’t help what he is … but for God’s sake, have some respect! He’s a human being!” (199). This scene shows how inconsiderate people are to others feelings, especially towards mentally handicapped people.

On the other hand, the author also shows how some people are selfless in their actions towards the mentally challenged by providing them with care and affection. When Charlie visits the Warren State Home, he is surprised not only by its residence but also by the staff. Charlie is curious about the lack of fences in the establishment, but the doctor reassures him that it is not a jail. The doctor then explains that although many residents do escape, “…After a week or so on the outside most of them come back when they find there’s nothing for them out there. The world doesn’t want them and they soon know it” (223). Charlie also discovers the selflessness of the workers at the Warren Home. The doctor states that even though many people are willing to give materials or money, few will give time and affection to mentally handicapped people. The doctor then asks Charlie, “How many people do you know who are prepared to take a grown man into his arms and let him nurse with the bottle?” (230).

Daniel Keyes displays two different arguments about the social acceptance of mentally challenged people. In these situations dealing with the mentally handicapped, it would be biased to present only one argument. On one side he gives a pessimistic look to the daily lives of mentally disabled people but as the novel progresses, Keyes shows a more positive side of the spectrum.