Flowers for Algernon

Style

Both the novel and the short story are written in an epistolary style collecting together Charlie's personal "progress reports" from a few days before the operation until he regresses back to his original state almost five months later. Initially, the reports are filled with elementary spelling errors and awkwardly constructed sentences, reflecting the writing of a young child.[25] The story is told from Charlie's point of view, in a first-person perspective, allowing the reader to see through Charlie's eyes and hear each thought. Keyes shares the importance of this in his memoir, "This had to be told from Charlie's perspective. It had to be first person, major character angle—in Charlie's mind and through Charlie's eyes all the way."[11] As an imbecile, Charlie is initially an unreliable narrator who presents the story through an immature worldview; his low intelligence compromises his ability to understand the world around him. This results in a case of dramatic irony, as readers are often more aware of Charlie's situation than he is.

Following the operation, however, the reports begin to show marked improvements in spelling, grammar, punctuation, and diction, indicating a rise in his intelligence.[26] As his intelligence improves, Charlie's perception broadens, and he realizes that things are entirely different than he had perceived them to be. Charlie's awareness increases to match that of the reader's and quickly surpasses it. This transforms him into a reliable narrator, able to provide all relevant information accurately.

Charlie's regression is conveyed by the loss of these skills.[26] In his final state, Charlie returns to a state of unreliability; his ability to accurately narrate events diminished by the regression. The polar differences in writing style emphasise the changes Charlie experiences from the operation and takes the reader along with Charlie's arc and growth/regression as well as supports the foil throughout the story.  


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