Flowers for Algernon Death and Mortality Quotes

Death just isn't an emotional subject for Charlie before the operation and, in this case, death is basically the same thing as a long absence.

Think about cramming a lifetime of learning into a couple of weeks. Whoa, right? Charlie's got bigger and better plans, though—he doesn't see himself as a mere mortal.

Not to boost his ego any more, but Charlie isn't the only one to see himself as godlike. Why does Fanny assume Charlie struck a deal with the devil?

That's a little insulting, Nemur. What the heck is the value of a human life, anyway? Do you have to be really smart like Charlie to enjoy this time on earth?

Sounds like Charlie is just coming to terms with his mortality for the first time, like, ever. The problem is that he's defining his life as being smart, not simply existing.

Uh-oh—Charlie's asking the hard questions. Something tells us he's not just interested in how he's going to be buried, but that this is more about his legacy.

Anyone notice that Nemur really didn't answer Charlie's question? The guy wanted to know what would happen when he died, and Nemur tells him he'll be sent back to the Warren School. Then again, maybe death and Warren are in the same category for Charlie.

There's a lot at stake for Charlie in treating Algernon's body right. In a way, he's a member of Charlie's family.

Hold onto your hats for an out-of-body experience, folks. Charlie describes this moment as mystical. Is he thinking about what's going to happen when he dies?

So now we're talking about ourselves in the third person, are we? Charlie is struggling with the big questions about death while he can still come to some intelligent conclusions. These questions would boggle the wisest philosophers.