The Heart Holds Answers the Brain Refuses to See (Flowers for Algernon)

Flowers for Algernon “The heart holds answers the brain refuses to see.” The author of “Flowers For Algernon,” Daniel Keyes, would agree and disagree with this quote depending on the situation. He would do this because in the story, he lets the main character, Charlie who is mentally disabled, find answers with both his brain and heart. In this essay, I will explain how he does that. Daniel Keyes would disagree with the quote because after Charlie gets his brain surgery, he realizes that his so called friends were all teasing him and making fun of him without him realizing it. Charlie doesn’t really appreciate that or feel any good about it. He encloses himself to the world and makes himself into a bookworm genius who talks about “mathematical variance equivalent in Dorbermann’s Fifth Concerto.” He closes his heart and just crams his brain with more books. People become unattractive to him as he realizes how unintelligent they are. One day he goes out to eat and there is a mentally disabled worker working there. He drops the plates on his tray and suddenly everyone starts teasing him and making hurtful remarks towards him. Charlie realizes that used to him and he yells for everyone to stop. That night, Daniel Keyes would’ve agreed with the quote “the heart holds answers the brain refuses to see. This is because even though Charlie had everything he thought he wanted, his heart told him that he didn’t and that sometimes being smart isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Later in the story, Charlie finds out that he will lose his intelligence and even though he is sad, he still holds on to the hope that he won’t lose everything. The thing is that hope comes from the