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Charlie's progress reports
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Charlie Gordon's Birthday
Charlie turns 37 on this date. -
Progess Report #1
Charlie Gordon, an illiterate middle-age man, starts writng progress reports about his life. He was asked to write these progress reports down so doctors can see if they can him for something important, something that will make him smart. "Dr Strausss says I shud rite down whiat I think and evrey thing that happins to me from now on," (371). -
Progress Report #2
Charlie begins his testing to see if the doctors will use him in the experiment. Charlie is very worried that they will not use him, becuase he think he failed the test. The test consisted of Charlie trying to see a picture in inkblots. However, Charlie could not find any pictures in the ink. He tried realy hard. "I tryed really hard but I couldnt find the pictures I only saw the ink....I dont think I passed the raw shok test," (372). -
Progress Report #3
Today was the day Charlie Gordon met one of his best friends. This friend was a little white mouse named Algernon. The mouse was very smart and beat Charlie in a maze. This event upset Charlie and made him feels sad. However, he likes Algernon. "Anyway that test made me feel worser than all the others because they did 10 times with different amazeds and Algernon won every time. I dint know that mice were so smart. Maybe thats becuase Algernon is a white mouse," (374). -
Progress Report #4
Today Charlie Gordon found out that the doctors would use him in the experiment. Miss Kinnian, his teacher, had recommended him, and Dr. Strauss thought that he would be perfect for it becuase he has motivation. He also found out that the the experiment was going to be and operation. "Their going to use me! Im so exited I can hardly write," (374). -
Progress Report #6
Charlie made it through the operation. "The operashun dint hurt. He did while I was sleeping. " (376). -
Progress Report #9
Charlie beat Algernon!! He was so excited he had beat Algernon that he fell of is sit. Charlie ended up beating Algernon 8 more times after he had beat him the first time. "I must be getting smarter to beat a mouse like Algernon," (380). He also was allowed ot hold Agernon and made friends with him. -
April 20, 1965
On April 19, Charlie went to a party with his friends from the factory, where he worked, and he was dancing with a girl. However, he noticed that he was the only one dancing, and everyone was making fun of him. He figured out what it meant "to pull a Charlie Gordon." He became ashamed of himself. His friends were not real friends. They used him. "I didn't know what to do or where to turn. Everyone was looking at me and laughing and I felt naked. I wanted to hide myself," (383). -
April 25, 1965
Charlie found a new way to arrange the machines where he worked. He saved his factory thousands of dollars. He also figured out that people at his place of work were frightned of him instead of being happy for him. No one wants ot talk to him at work anymore. He feels like an outcast. "People don't talk to me much any more or kid around the way they used to. I t makes my job kind of lonely," (386). -
April 28, 1965
For the first time Charlie finds out that he has feelings for Miss KInnian and loves her. Today he took her out for dinner, and they had a lot of fun. She is so happy to see the progress he has made. However, at the end of hte dinner she made a remark that she hopes she did not advise him wrong. "'Never mind, Charles. I just hope I wasn't wrong to advise you to go into this in the first place,'"(387). -
Progree Report #12
Charlie quit his job today due to a petion signed by 840 names that worked at Donnegan's Plastic Box Company. His intelligance has driven away the people he thought were his friends and those he loved. As the days goo on it is as if he loses more friends. Unlike what the doctors told him. Charlie thought he would gain friends if he became smart. "Once again now I have the feeling of shame buring inside me. This intellingence has driven a wedge between me and all the people I once loved,"(389). -
May 15, 1965
Charlie Gordon concluded that he was smarter than the doctor who gave him the operation. There minds only went o a certain point. However, Charlie's mind keeps earning and gaining more information. "Dr. Nemur appears to be uncomfortable around me. Sometimes when I try to talk to him he just looks at me strangely and tuns away. I was angry at first when Dr. Strauss told me I was giving Dr. Nemur an inferiority complex," (390). -
Progree Report #13
"It happened today. Algernon bit me," (393). What does this mean? It means that Algernon is changing and that the operation done on Charlie may not be perminment and may be life threatening. -
May 25, 1965
Charlie starts to dedicate his time to showing were the mistakes are in the operation and the experiment he had done on himself. The doctors have told him that he does not need to come in anymore to the lab. They all know what it to come of Charlie and feel sorry for him. "I am going ahead with my plans to carry their research forward. With all due respect to both of these fine scientists, I am waare of their limitations. If there is an answer, I'll have to find it out for myself," (393-394). -
June 10, 1965
Charlie Gordon is now realizing that his mental deterioration has begun. He doesn't think as much as he used to. He also feels emotional instability. Futhermore, Alergnon past a way two days ago and the dissection shows that Charlie's predication was right. "Deterioration progressing. I have become absent-minded. Algernon died two days ago." -
June 30, 1965
Charlie can barely read anymore, and he cannot use a typewriter anymore. He is starting to realize his true fate and it hurts. He doesn't want to die, however he blames no-one. No-one knew what was going to happen to him. When he commited to this experiment he knew it might not work. "A week since I dared to write again. t's slipping away like sand through my fingers. Most of the books I have are too hard for me now. I get angry with them becuase I know I read and understood..."(396). -
July 28, 1965
Charlie Gordon decided that he was going to move away from New York for good, so that he does not hurt anyones feelings He doesnt want anyone to feel sorry for him.He knows he is going to die soon.However, he is thanful for the time he did have.He is glad he got a second chance even if it was for a short time period."If you ever reed this Miss Kinnian dont be sorry for me Im glad I got a second chance to be smart becaus I lerned a lot of things that I never even new were in this world..."(401).