coudnt see anything in the ink. They said that maybe they will still use me. I said Miss Kinnian never gave me tests like that one only spelling and reading. They said Miss Kinnian told that I was her bestist pupil in the adult nite scool becaus I tryed the hardist and I reely wantid to lern. They said how come you went to the adult nite scool all by yourself Charlie. How did you find it. I said I askd pepul and sumbody told me where I shud go to lern to read and spell good. They said why did you want to. I told them becaus all my life I wantid to be smart and not dumb. But its very hard to be smart. They said you know it will probly be tempirery. I said yes. Miss Kinnian told me. I dont care if it herts." 

Charlie is chosen because of his strong desire to learn, his limited intellectual capacity, and his teacher's recommendation. 

"Their going to use me! Im so exited I can hardly write. Dr Nemur and Dr Strauss had a argament about it first. Dr Nemur was in the office when Dr Strauss brot me in. Dr Nemur was worryed about using me but Dr Strauss told him Miss Kinnian rekemmended me the best from all the people who she was teaching. I like Miss Kinnian becaus shes a very smart teacher. And she said Charlie your going to have a second chance. If you volenteer for this experament you mite get smart. They dont know if it will be perminint but theirs a chance. Thats why I said ok even when I was scared because she said it was an operashun. She said dont be scared Charlie you done so much with so little I think you deserv it most of all. So I got scaird when Dr Nemur and Dr Strauss argud about it. Dr Strauss said I had something that was very good. He said I had a good motor-vation. I never even knew I had that. I felt proud when he said that not every body with an eye-q of 68 had that thing. I dont know what it is or where I got it but he said Algernon had it too. Algernons motor-vation is the cheese they put in his box." 

It is left to the reader's inference whether or not Charlie had the mental capacity to make an informed choice in this matter, which lends itself to critical thinking about ethics in medicine. 

Charlie is chosen for the operation because of his tremendous drive and motivation to improve himself and smarter. He is probably the most motivated student at the Beekman University Center for Retarded Adults where he takes classes with Alice Kinnian. She is so impressed with Charlie's drive that she recommends Charlie for the procedure. The doctors obviously want someone with strong motivation because there will be so much work after the operation. "Before the operation, Charlie is perceived as a 'good, simple man' and a 'likeable, retarded young man.' His main goal in undergoing the operation is "to be smart like other pepul so I can have lots of friends who like me.'"

Charlie notes from the very beginning of this story that he wants to be smart. Although he lacks the intelligence of even an average man in society, he understands this deficit and wants to have an opportunity to become more intelligent. Charlie is driven by an internal motivation to excel, and from the start, he wants the doctors to choose him for their experiment. In their tests, the doctors realize that Charlie has a good "motor-vation," as he calls it, and they tell him that this isn't a common trait for people with an IQ of 68. Charlie doesn't even know what an IQ is.

Charlie believes that being smart is somehow linked to an ability to have friends. There is a theme of loneliness that is woven into the plot, and when he lacks intelligence early in the story, he doesn't even understand that sometimes people use him as a joke; this is particularly evident in his comments regarding Joe Carp and Frank Reilly. Before the surgery, Charlie comments that people who are smart never get lonely and have lots of friends whom they can talk to. This demonstrates his sense of isolation; people don't reach out to engage with Charlie because of his low intelligence.

Charlie's desperation to find acceptance and friendship propels his desire to become "smart" because he believes that this will solve all his problems. Unfortunately, he finds that humans are more complicated than this, and becoming intelligent doesn't erase his feelings of loneliness.

First of all, Charlie is the ideal candidate for the experiment because he's ambitious and wants to get on in life. Unfortunately for him, he lacks the intelligence to improve his lot, and so remains stuck in a low-paid, menial job. But if his innate drive to make something of his life can be combined with a scientific breakthrough, then there's a real chance he can succeed.

Secondly, Charlie's the kind of person who likes to please other people. He's not just participating in this experiment to get on in life; he wants to impress others, too. In particular, he wants to impress Miss Kinnian, who recommends him for the potentially ground-breaking psychological experiment in the first place.

Finally, Charlie is motivated—or 'motor-vated,' as Charlie spells it—to learn. It's Dr. Strauss who makes this observation and also notes that not everyone with such a low I.Q. has this quality about them. This makes Charlie feel very good about himself.

In "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes, a mentally handicapped man named Charlie is given an operation to increase his intelligence. Before he is accepted as a candidate for the procedure, he must go through several tests. Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss discuss whether or not they should use Charlie in the experiment, and in the end, they decide to do so. Charlie's acceptance is based on three criteria. First of all, he has a low Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Second, even though his IQ is low, Charlie is very motivated to learn. An example of this is that he found Miss Kinnian's school by himself and began attending because he wanted to become smarter. Last, Charlie is willing to go through with the operation even though he is a little bit scared. 

Charlie is chosen for the experiment because he is a hard worker who desperately wants to learn, despite the many setbacks and limitations he encounters. The researchers know this because Ms. Kinnian vouches for him.

As Ms. Kinnian says, and as Charlie writes down before his surgery, “dont be scared Charlie you done so much with so little I think you deserv it most of all."

One also has to wonder if Charlie is chosen for the surgery because he has no friends or family to object to the researchers’ incredibly unethical and morally dubious tactics. Since Charlie’s family abandoned him and he has no friends interested in his welfare, Charlie is an easy target for the researchers. Because of his mental limitations, Charlie cannot fully consent to the surgery, and therefore needs someone to guard him and guide him in this decision.

We are never actually told specifically who suggested Charlie would be a suitable subject for the experiment that changes his life so drastically. However, there are hints that we can pick up that suggest that Dr. Strauss contacted the Beekman School for Retarded Adults and spoeke to Miss Kinnian to ask for a suitable candidate. Notice how in the third progress report, Dr. Strauss tells Charlie that Miss Kinnian had given them a report about him:

He said Miss Kinnian tolld him I was her bestist pupil in the Beekman School for retarded adults and I tryed the hardist becaus I reely wanted to lern I wantid it more even then pepul who are smarter even then me.

Thus we can infer that Dr. Strauss and his scientific team contacted the school and asked for a potential candidate that they could use for a suitable case study. Miss Kinnian, who is obviously impressed with Charlie and his dedication to his studies, suggested his name, which is how Charlie found himself the subject of this intelligence experiment.