For Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, it's best to look to the story’s predominant themes when framing arguments about its central character. Charlie Gordon, a man with developmental disabilities, is given the opportunity to undergo a procedure that will increase his intelligence. The problem is that the surgery has only been performed successfully on a non-human test subject: a mouse named Algernon.

Since Charlie, a man with limited intellectual and judgmental abilities, may not be able to fully comprehend all of the risks and benefits associated with this largely experimental procedure, the question of ethics certainly rises to the forefront. Knowing his deficits, should his doctors have assumed such a godlike role in Charlie’s ultimate destiny? Is it ever ethical to use human subjects, especially individuals like Charlie, as test subjects? When looking at the question of ethics, one might also want to note the similarities that exist between Charlie and Algernon.

Once Charlie has the procedure and his mental capacity begins to increase, we see evidence of this through his written progress reports.Thus, one might want to explore the effect that Charlie’s expanding intelligence has upon his humanity—namely, the manner in which his burgeoning genius affects his memory, personality, ability to form and maintain friendships, and his concept of family.

Other areas worthy of exploration are Charlie’s obsession with getting smarter and his desire to please those around him. One also might want to place specific emphasis on how these facets of his character factor into his decision-making processes and whether the outcomes are ultimately positive or negative.