Progress Report 6

Summary

Charlie is nervous and scared about his surgery but finds solace in his lucky charms—a rabbit’s foot, a penny with a hole and a horseshoe. Burt brings him flowers and a colleague from the bakery gives him a chocolate cake; interestingly, the bakery is not aware of his surgery and only thinks that he is unwell.

He is also visited by Miss Kinnian who appears nervous and seems to care a lot about Charlie’s well-being.

Charlie is excited about his surgery because it will make him smarter and enable him to find and impress his family and also make friends. He doesn’t care much about becoming famous or making a contribution to science. He is upset at being kept hungry before the surgery and harbors ill feelings toward Professor Nemur.

Analysis

Charlie shows signs of caring about his family’s approval and to impress others with his intelligence. He has no fears and is a deeply empathetic man who can pick up on people’s emotions.