Flowers for Algernon- my thoughts on the novel.
Often people wish they were smarter, yet the people they wish they were like, they snub. People can not bear the thought of being inferior to anybody. If a person of higher intellect makes a reference to Shakespeare, or Faulkner and they quote a joke the authors wrote in their books in a fitting situation, people will give said person a funny look. Although people of average intelligence see a mentally retarded person, they will make a snide comment where everyone gets it but the retarded person. It is essentially the same concept, just on different levels of intelligence.
Charlie Gorden was a 32 year old mentally retarded adult. Professors at a university manipulated him into becoming a lab-rat to see if a surgical procedure could possibly reverse the effects of certain retardations. However, when it worked for a time and Charlie's intellect surpassed their own, they turned on him, when he would no longer docilely stay under their control. Professors Strauss and Nemur were under the idiotic impression that they were Charlie's master and they had created him. They didn't view him as a person while he was mentally retarded, and thought that when he was intelligent, he should view them as his god and creator.
One might hear a person making jibes about a person who isn't on their same level of understanding. Although you might think to yourself at the time, "that's horrible, I would never do something like that." You later find yourself thinking the same things about them. Humans are very fickle. It seems to be in our nature to look down on others, whether because we ourselves are inferior, and therefore need to make others feel the same way, or because we all have various levels of sadistcism.
This may sound pessimistic, but if you observe your surroundings, you will see that it is true. Either way one could argue that the human race is doomed by pointless, petty arguments and wars, starting with politics who both make valid points, but can't stand to admit it. Or by all the other problems the world has that I could write thousands more essays like this over.
People wonder why those with higher intellect push people away. Maybe it is because they realize these points and even though they themselves think these things and do these things also, it sickens them." A long time friend may suddenly turn on you and forget all you have gone through together because they are bored with you. Or there maybe is a shy girl in the third grade in honors classes, with lots of friends and everything is going right for her. That is, until she decides to befriend a girl everyone gives a wide berth, simply because of her home-life and clothes. Then her 'friends' walk out on her.
You start to wonder sometimes whether it is better to turn a blind eye and ignore these things your friends do, or risk your happiness for one person, who could just as easily walk out on you.