Flowers for Algernon Lesson Plan

Why does Charlie view his sexual encounters in third person? How does this relate to the way he processes his memories?

Charlie’s consciousness seems to be divided between his brilliant, post-operation self, and his former identity as a intellectually disabled man. Sometimes, he has a difficult time reconciling these two very different “Charlies.” Direct your students’ attention to the circumstances in which Charlie talks about himself in third person or expresses a feeling of dual identities. Note that they are usually instances of great emotional turmoil for Charlie.

Charlie reflects that people will not laugh at or take advantage of physically disabled people, but...