One of the saddest aspects of 'Flowers for Algernon' is the isolation Charlie experiences. As his intelligence grows, he becomes alienated from his old friends and the world he knew. Then, when his intelligence starts to fade, he is painfully aware of what he is losing. This downward spiral from hope and new understanding to regression and loneliness is what makes it a very sad story.
Flowers might also represent Charlie's innocence. Before the experiment, he was simple - minded like a flower that just exists without much complication. But as his intelligence grows, he loses that innocent simplicity, and the contrast is like the change from a budding flower to a more complex state.
The ending is sad because Charlie loses his intelligence. He goes back to his old self, which means all the knowledge, the relationships he formed during his intelligent phase, and his new - found self - awareness are gone. It's like a bright light that was briefly on has been extinguished, leaving only darkness.
One important aspect of 'Flowers for Algernon' is the exploration of intelligence. The main character, Charlie, undergoes a procedure that changes his intelligence level dramatically. At first, he is a simple - minded man with a child - like innocence. As his intelligence increases, he starts to see the world in a different way, including the cruelties and the complex relationships among people.
In the 'Flowers for Algernon' short story, one activity is Charlie's participation in the intelligence - enhancing experiment. He takes tests regularly as part of the experiment, which is a crucial activity that drives the plot forward.