Flowers for Algernon

Flowers For Algernon

William J. Brennan of the Supreme Court stated, "If there is bedrock

principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that Government may not

prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself

offensive or disagreeable." Flowers For Algernon by Daniel Keyes, is

criticized for sexual, religious, and unmoral themes and are the reasons for

opposition. However, these examples do not give reason for banning any

literature, especially when it has an important, underlying lesson of how

wisdom does not make the person but can actually hurt them. Therefore,

Flowers For Algernon should not be banned and should remain in the

curriculum.

One reason of criticism is that of a sexual theme. Solonor.com claims

it has "distasteful love scenes." You do not ban a book for briefly hitting on

a pair making love and carrying out nature. If sex did not occur, then we

would not be in existence. "He would realistically have an interest in sex,"

just as any other human at his age (Small, Jr. 254). Of coarse, Keyes does

devote a few passages to rather tame sexual encounters, but he does nothing

explicit.

Religious themes are also objected. "It has been accused of tampering

with the will of God, of turning men - the doctors, that is - into gods, and of

supernaturalism..." (Small, Jr. 254). Robert Small, Jr. also tells of critics

arguing that the operation was irreligious and perhaps Satanic. When taking

these two points into consideration, this book was written as a science fiction

rather