“Ignorance Is Bliss”: The Pain of Knowledge in ‘Flowers for Algernon’ and Other Literature
Daniel Keyes’ Flowers for Algernon is an exploration of intelligence, but also shows a timeless theme: sometimes ignorance really is bliss. Charlie Gordon starts life with limited cognitive abilities, happy, trusting, and largely unaware of the ways the world can hurt him. His simplicity shields him from betrayal, disappointment, and