The Main Character's Neurotic Problem In Daniel Keyes Flower For Algernon

The novel Flower for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes tells about the story of Charlie Gordon, the mentally-disabled man who wants to be smart. This thesis discusses the psychological phenomenon called neurosis that happens to Charlie Gordon, the main character of this novel. Charlie Gordon psychological condition which is influenced by his past is the object of this thesis. This research aims to know 1) the background neurotic needs experienced by Charlie, 2) how the neurotic needs influence the attitude of Charlie. In this research, the researcher applied the pragmatic approach and the theory of Neurosis, as a part of psychoanalysis theory. The result of the analysis shows that traumatic events could turn into neurosis, such as madness. This is shown in the character of Charlie Gordon who cannot accept the sadness that happened to him, such as the bad treatment does by his mother and the intimidation from his friend. From the analysis, it can be concluded that in this research the kind of neurotic tendencies and neurotic needs experienced by the main character, named Charlie