In Flowers for Algernon, how do Dr. Nemur and Dr. Strauss react to Charlie's intelligence?
Dr. Strauss was introduced to Charlie through Miss Kinnian. He, in turn, introduced Charlie to Dr. Nemur and their experiment on intelligence. Dr. Nemur was at first reluctant to use Charlie as the test subject. However, Dr. Strauss believed Charlie was the right subject because he was motivated to develop his intelligence. He succeeded in convincing Dr. Nemur to authorize Charlie’s participation in the experiment.
The first visible sign of Charlie getting smart was when he first beat Algernon. His intelligence continued to grow, and he noticed that Dr. Strauss and Dr. Nemur argued a lot. Charlie overheard an argument between the two doctors about the experiment. Dr. Nemur stated that it was his experiment, and Dr. Strauss claimed that he also contributed much to the research. Dr. Nemur wanted to publish the results of the test for recognition, but Dr. Strauss thought it was best to give it more...
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time. Dr. Nemur was also intimidated by Charlie’s growing intelligence, and he was uncomfortable around him.
How does Dr. Strauss react to Charlie's growing intelligence in Flowers for Algernon?
Once Charlie has beaten Algernon in a test, it's patently obvious that his level of intelligence has grown sharply. For someone who originally had an IQ of only 68, that's no mean achievement and seems to vindicate the psychological study overseen by Dr. Strauss.
But for Dr. Strauss, the success of the study doesn't seem to provide much cause for celebration. Instead, it only embroils him in an argument with his colleague, Professor Nemur, as to who should get the credit for the experiment.
Nemur argues that it's his experiment and that Strauss is only riding on the coattails of the research that he carried out. For his part, Strauss insists that Nemur has his eye on the Chair of Psychology at Hallston and that the project had as much to do with his techniques in psychosurgery and enzyme-injection patterns as with Nemur's theories.
All in all, it would seem that whatever satisfaction Dr. Strauss may have derived from observing Charlie's growing intelligence is undercut by his gigantic clash of egos with Professor Nemur.
As for Charlie, he feels frightened as he hears the two scientists argue. Now that he's no longer feebleminded, he knows that the men will not want him to overhear their argument. And so he makes himself scarce without waiting to hear the outcome.