Flowers for Algernon Memory and the Past Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph) or (Page Number)

Quote #7

Now I can see where I got the usual motivation for becoming smart that so amazed everyone at first. It was something Rose Gordon lived with day and night. Her fear, her guilt, her shame that Charlie was a moron. (13.144)

So even Charlie's ambition isn't his own? Just goes to show that you get everything from Mama Bear.

Quote #8

I wanted to get up and show everyone what a fool he was, to shout at him: I'm a human being, a person—with parents and memories and a history—and I was before you ever wheeled me into that operating room! (13.161)

It seems important for Charlie to be seen as someone with a normal past, whatever that means. And sure, those things make him a human being—but so does his empathy and his awesome drive to succeed.

Quote #9

A dream last night triggered off a sequence of memories, lit up a whole slice of the past and the important thing is to get it down on paper quickly before I forget it because I seem to forget things sooner now. (16.258)

If Charlie's suddenly desperate to get everything down on paper, does that he mean he doesn't always succeed in remembering his story correctly? Are we even getting the full story?