Analyzing Analogies in "Flowers for Algernon"

Look back at paragraph 119 in our selected text "Flowers for Algernon."

"We sat there silently for a while and I knew what she was thinking about as she watched me toying with the chain of my rabbit’s foot and my keys. I didn’t want to think of that possibility any more than elderly people want to think of death. I knew that this was only the beginning. I knew what she meant about levels because I’d seen some of them already. The thought of leaving her behind made me sad."

What does Charlie mean when he uses the analogy¹ “I didn’t want to think of that possibility any more than elderly people want to think of death”?

1 analogy (i.e. an explanation of two things are similar, usually with the aim of making it easier to understand on of those things)

Use the writing strategy R.A.C.E. (Restate, Answer, Cite, and Explain) to respond to the question.