Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Freak the Mighty, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Friendship
The Power of Storytelling
Memory, Grief, and Trauma
Family Legacy vs. Individuality
Summary
Analysis
Over the summer, Max continues to grow. One day, Grim suggests that Max’s legs are stretching from all the walking he does carrying around “poor Kevin.” Max insists that Freak isn’t that heavy and that it’s not fair to call him poor. Grim says that Max is right; Kevin is remarkable. Max says that Freak has most of the dictionary memorized. At this, Grim looks like he thinks that Freak is lying and that Max isn’t smart enough to understand. Max heads down under, thinking that Grim is okay sometimes but that he often acts like he knows everything. Max quips that in the dictionary, “a smart grown-up” isn’t the definition of “grim.”
Standing up for Freak and insisting that Grim not look down on Freak with pity is another way that Max begins to transform how adults perceives Freak and him. This allows Grim to see that Max doesn’t think of Freak as someone who needs pity and extra care—rather, Freak is an intelligent (if naïve) young man, while Max is kind, generous, and respectful.
Themes
Max is listening to music on his Walkman when suddenly, Freak pops up and startles him. Freak rolls his eyes and he says that he has a quest for them. They don’t have to leave the neighborhood, as it’s a treasure hunt and the treasure is in the sewer. Max is skeptical, especially when Freak says that they need to wait until three a.m. to get the treasure, since it’ll be dark and no one will see them. Freak also insists that they wear all black and they cover themselves in soot. They can’t find soot anywhere and so they decide to use dirt, but Freak is scandalized when Max asks if he can just wear a dirty shirt since he doesn’t own a black one. Max sets the alarm on his Walkman, but he never falls asleep.
Max’s willingness to go along with this wild-sounding quest is a testament to the strength of his friendship with Freak. Max knows that participating is the only way to make Freak feel seen and important, and so Max is more than willing to go along. Meanwhile, Freak’s insistence on doing this in the dead of night and wearing all black speaks to his love of drama and storytelling. He wants this to be a compelling, dramatic event, and he’s willing to do anything to make it so.
Themes
Finally, Max gets up and he sneaks out to hide under Freak’s window. It does feel exciting to be out alone at this time of night. Freak tosses Max one of Gwen’s black blouses, but Max refuses to wear it. Freak stands up to his full height to reveal that he’s wearing a Darth Vader costume and then Max lifts Freak onto his shoulders. Freak makes Max swear to do whatever he says, and then they head for the storm drain at the end of the block. A cat startles them, but they can’t tell if it’s black. Max attempts to pull up the storm drain but when he can’t, Freak pulls out a flashlight and a bent paper clip on a string. Freak holds the flashlight, and though Max thinks this is stupid, he drops the hook down and pulls up a purse.
Again, it doesn’t matter much to Max that he thinks this is silly—what matters more than that is that he shows Freak kindness and respect by playing along. This continues to show that Max isn’t a violent or dangerous person; he’s a generous, kind, and selfless young man who just needs the opportunity to make that clear to people. Sharing this exciting experience with Freak, meanwhile, allows the boys to grow closer to each other.
Themes
The purse is disgusting, and Max doesn’t want to touch it. Freak explains that he saw one of Tony D.’s boys toss it down the drain yesterday morning; they must’ve stolen it. Max is certain that there’s no treasure in the purse, but it feels good to get back at Tony D. and get some old lady her purse back. Freak pulls out a wallet. There’s no money, but they find the ID of a lady named Loretta Lee. Freak declares that Loretta Lee must be a damsel in distress, but Max tells the reader that they were wrong—Loretta Lee is a damsel who causes distress.
It’s likely that if Freak had explained from the outset that they were going to retrieve a purse stolen by Tony D., Max would’ve played along much more willingly—Max’s kind nature means that doing something nice thing for one of Tony D.’s victims would be appealing to him. However, because Freak didn’t tell Max the whole story, Max simply had to trust Freak that this was necessary.
Themes
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