Charlie Gordon, the main character, undergoes surgery in an attempt to correct for his disabilities. As the book progresses, Charlie develops an increased insight about the world around him and goes from being unable to conceptualize images in ink blots to successfully conducting his own experiments. Notable challenges include Oberlin High School, Ohio, in 1983 and Glenrock High School, Wyoming, in 1984. In 1996, the school board in Yorktown, Virginia, rejected a challenge by the parents of a student. The parents complained that the book contained adult language, profanity, alcohol-related content and sexual themes.
When a challenge succeeds and a book gets removed from a school's curriculum and sometimes the library as well, the American Library Association lists it as a banned book. Plant City, Florida, schools banned the book in 1976. Emporium, Pennsylvania, banned the book from schools in 1977. Glen Rose High School Library in Arkansas banned the book in 1981. Aledo Middle School in Texas also banned the book, but later restored the book to library shelves. However, it remains unavailable for use in curriculum.
Parents cited profanity as one of the reasons for banning "Flowers for Algernon." The use of any profanity can create pause for parents, but parents usually listed profanity in addition to other facts, such as bullying. During the course of Charlie's development, he also deals with themes of drinking and alcoholism. During a party, Charlie drinks too much and begins acting rude enough for other guests to leave. Alice, Charlie's love interest, expresses concern that her friend Fay's drinking may hinder Charlie's concentration and dedication to his work.
One of the main reasons that objectors cite for banning the book include sexually explicit themes. As Charlie's intelligence grows, he deals with adult themes that he previously never could contemplate. The longest instance includes a few paragraphs that depict his first experience with Alice. Another involves Charlie making love to Alice's friend Fay, while thinking about Alice. Charlie realizes through his sexual encounters that without love, sex doesn't have meaning for him.