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
Max says that he used to think all the fuss about Friday the 13th was silly, but in October, he starts to reconsider. School is going well, and Mrs. Donelli is getting used to them. She knows by now that Freak is smarter and more well-read than she is, so she often tries to get Max to give answers instead. Max just shrugs and smiles. He doesn’t think it matters if he knows the answers or not, since if he doesn’t, Freak will explain it to him later in a way he can understand. Max often does know the answers, but this is because Freak has been showing him how to read and now it all makes sense. Max’s reading tutor insists that this is proof that Max has never been learning disabled.
Though it’s impossible to confirm, it’s likely Max has had a hard time reading because he’s insecure and he doesn’t feel comfortable trusting adults. Few adults in Max’s life have proven themselves worthy of his trust, so it would make sense that Max wouldn’t want to do anything that might attract extra attention or require him to trust anyone. Since Freak is a peer, he’s far less threatening—and he never makes Max feel purposefully dumb, so Max is able to finally feel competent.
Themes
The tutor even makes Mrs. Donelli stop asking Max questions in class and quiz him during study hall instead. Max tells the reader that there’s a big difference between speaking up in class and speaking to one person. Mrs. Donelli seems to understand this, but she doesn’t understand how Max can seemingly read but not write. Max explains that no matter what Freak says, writing isn’t just like talking. He doesn’t believe he’ll ever be able to write—he’s good at listening, which is like reading, but he doesn’t talk or write.
Freak’s struggle to teach Max to write is really a much bigger endeavor. Freak is trying to make Max understand that Max has something important to say—and that if Max says it, people will listen. Even if Freak isn’t entirely aware of it now, his project of teaching Max to write is preparing Max to write this story.
Themes
On Friday the 13th, Max gets a note asking him to go to the principal’s office. Freak is upset that he can’t go too, but he offers to send Max with his dictionary so he can use big words on Mrs. Addison. Max refuses; he’s afraid that he’ll forget how to look up a word and thereby prove that he’s a “butthead goon” who should be in the learning disabled class. If they put him back in the learning disabled class, Max has already decided that he’ll run away. Mrs. Addison shows Max into her office and he can tell that this is serious. She assures him that they’re not putting him back in the learning disabled class.
Max’s insistence that he’s going to run away if he has to return to the learning disabled classes represents a major leap from just a few months ago, when Max was extremely nervous about going to school at all. Though Max certainly wants to stay in regular classes because that means he gets to stay with Freak, it’s also possible that Max is starting to see the value of being in the regular classroom, especially now that he can read.
Themes
Mrs. Addison says that this is personal—it’s about Kenny. Max wishes that he was in trouble as Mrs. Addison explains that she got a request from Kenny via the parole board. Before she can finish, Max covers his ears and he says he doesn’t want to hear it. Mrs. Addison calls in the school nurse and both women try to hug Max. They try to tell Max that they’ll make it clear to Kenny’s parole officer and his lawyer that Max isn’t going to do anything. Finally, Max removes his hands from his ears and he realizes that he’s curled into a ball in the corner. He doesn’t know how he got there. The nurse is crying, so Max assumes he hurt her and apologizes. She insists that Max didn’t hurt her, but Max thinks that he must’ve but that he doesn’t remember it. This is terrifying.
Given Max’s kind and generous nature, it’s likely that Max didn’t hurt the nurse—she’s probably crying because seeing a child have this kind of reaction is painful. Because Max has been told his entire life he might be violent, however, he can’t trust that he’s not going to do something bad. Mrs. Addison’s promise to advocate for Max starts to show Max that he can trust the adults around him. Once they understand that he’s nothing like Kenny, they will do everything in their power to rally and keep Max safe from his father.
Themes
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Later in the cafeteria, something even worse happens: when Max gets up to get Freak another helping of American chop suey, he returns to find Freak red in the face and choking. Max fetches the nurse, who calls an ambulance. The nurse inserts a tube into Freak’s mouth, and after a minute, Freak’s purple face starts to look pink again. By the time the ambulance arrives, Freak doesn’t want to go. They won’t let Max join Freak, so Mrs. Addison pulls Max away and she observes that Max has had quite the day. Max insists that Kevin is the one who had quite the day—and all Kevin did was try to eat lunch. At this, Mrs. Addison assures Max that he’s going to be okay.
It’s telling that Freak’s hospitalization is worse for Max than hearing that Kenny is requesting something. This suggests that in Max’s mind, Freak and their friendship are now far more important to him than worrying about Kenny and how Max might be when he grows up. Max makes this even clearer when he insists that Freak is the one who had a bad day, not him. This demonstrates to Mrs. Addison that Max is kind and selfless, which in turn makes her even more willing to stand up for Max.
Themes
