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Algernon’s Maze
Especially in the second half of the novel, Charlie Gordon experiences vivid hallucinations of his younger self, often peering out from behind a window. Charlie’s visions prove that he hasn’t entirely overcome his own troubled past: not only is there a part of his mind that continues to suffer from mental disability, but he’s also still traumatized by his childhood experiences. As a child, Charlie’s mother, Rose Gordon, beat him for misbehaving or touching women, even in the most innocent ways. As a result, Charlie—even as a brilliant adult—can’t be intimate with women without hallucinating a younger version of his self. The symbolism is clear: the child is “father to the man”—that is, Charlie’s internalized sense of fear and inferiority from childhood lives on in his own head as an adult.
Charlie’s Hallucinations (younger Charlie) Quotes in Flowers for Algernon
The Flowers for Algernon quotes below all refer to the symbol of Charlie’s Hallucinations (younger Charlie). For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Progress Report 14
Quotes
Somehow, getting drunk had momentarily broken down the conscious barriers that kept the old Charlie Gordon hidden deep in my mind. As I suspected all along, he was not really gone. Nothing in our minds is ever really gone. The operation had covered him over with a veneer of education and culture, but emotionally he was there—watching and waiting.
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Then, with a violent effort of the will, I was back on the couch with her, aware of her body and my own urgency and potency, and I saw the face against the window, hungrily watching. And I thought to myself, go ahead, you poor bastard—watch. I don't give a damn any more. And his eyes went wide as he watched.
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Charlie’s Hallucinations (younger Charlie) Symbol Timeline in Flowers for Algernon
The timeline below shows where the symbol Charlie’s Hallucinations (younger Charlie) appears in Flowers for Algernon. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Progress Report 14
...wanted to learn to read and write like everyone else. Charlie realizes that the “ old Charlie ” is still with him, even after his operation.
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...for Chicago. Charlie meets Alice at her apartment, where he confesses that he’s still “ the old Charlie Gordon ” sometimes—the frightened child who fears his mother.
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...this time.” Charlie makes passionate love to Fay. As he does, he imagines the “ old Charlie ” watching, and finds that he doesn’t care anymore.
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...Charlie has too much to drink, and in his drunkenness he behaves like the “ old Charlie .” Fay is confused by Charlie’s behavior, but finds it funny. Charlie also notes that...
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Progress Report 16
...leaves the house. As he walks away, he turns back, and thinks he sees a little boy staring at him from the window.
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Progress Report 17
...on the couch, he tells Strauss about his hallucinations—he’s been seeing a version of his childhood self . As Charlie talks, he has another hallucination, so vivid that he forgets Strauss is...
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October 17. Charlie begins to have hallucinations of his childhood self , looking out through a window. He fears being sent back to the Warren State...
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