Freak the Mighty

by

Rodman Philbrick

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on Freak the Mighty makes teaching easy.

Iggy Lee Character Analysis

The terrifying leader of a biker gang in Max’s town. Max knows of Iggy Lee by reputation and he knows that Iggy isn’t someone to mess with. Iggy is a tall, hulking man with a beer belly, blue tattoos, and a long red beard. He loves chugging cans of beer and then crushing the cans. Iggy also makes a point to intimidate Loretta Lee and he’s potentially physically violent toward her. Though Iggy frightens Max and Freak when they show up on his doorstep to return Loretta Lee’s purse, Max also sees that Iggy is, a bit surprisingly, terrified of Kenny and what Kenny might do if he ever gets out of prison. Sure enough, when Kenny does get out on parole and he kidnaps Max and brings him to Iggy’s apartment, Kenny is able to easily intimidate Iggy and make him seem scared and foolish. Iggy isn’t all bad, however: he conspires with Loretta Lee to distract Kenny and rescue Max and he’s also distraught when Loretta ends up in the hospital after Kenny chokes her.
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Iggy Lee Character Timeline in Freak the Mighty

The timeline below shows where the character Iggy Lee appears in Freak the Mighty. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 11. The Damsel of Distress
Family Legacy vs. Individuality Theme Icon
...a newspaper, and then a woman starts cussing Max and Freak out and calling for Iggy. The door opens to reveal a scrawny blonde woman in a bathrobe. She smokes and... (full context)
Friendship Theme Icon
Memory, Grief, and Trauma Theme Icon
Max lifts Freak down to enter, and Iggy makes Max sit in a ratty chair, insisting that it makes him nervous to look... (full context)
The Power of Storytelling Theme Icon
Memory, Grief, and Trauma Theme Icon
Thrilled with herself, Loretta goes to the kitchen, brings Iggy a can of Bud Light, and starts to reminisce about Kenny. Iggy cuts her off,... (full context)
Family Legacy vs. Individuality Theme Icon
Loretta thinks that Max doesn’t know how strong he is and so she suggests that Iggy find out. Iggy scowls and he tells the boys to leave. When Loretta protests, Iggy... (full context)
Chapter 16. A Chip off the Old Block
Memory, Grief, and Trauma Theme Icon
Family Legacy vs. Individuality Theme Icon
...they even get there and she lets them inside. She’s wearing a slinky red dress. Iggy bolts the door behind Max and Kenny. (full context)
Family Legacy vs. Individuality Theme Icon
Loretta Lee slurs that she knew Kenny could get out. Kenny turns to Iggy and he asks if he made himself clear about Loretta drinking. Iggy sounds nervous. Loretta’s... (full context)
Chapter 17. By All That’s Holy
Friendship Theme Icon
The Power of Storytelling Theme Icon
Family Legacy vs. Individuality Theme Icon
Iggy leads Max and Kenny along an alley between the buildings and into an apartment with... (full context)
Chapter 18. Never Trust a Cripple
Friendship Theme Icon
The Power of Storytelling Theme Icon
Memory, Grief, and Trauma Theme Icon
...in with a pizza box. She offers it to Kenny, and when Kenny asks where Iggy is, she says that he’s still asleep. Loretta wearing a long winter coat that looks... (full context)
Friendship Theme Icon
The Power of Storytelling Theme Icon
Memory, Grief, and Trauma Theme Icon
...blue lights flashing outside and Kenny shoves Max to the floor. A few minutes later, Iggy sneaks in the back. He explains that the cops came to his house looking for... (full context)
The Power of Storytelling Theme Icon
Family Legacy vs. Individuality Theme Icon
Kenny thinks this is a weird story, but Iggy explains that Max and Freak stole Loretta’s purse. Kenny kneels down in front of Max... (full context)
Chapter 19. Into the Black Down Under
Memory, Grief, and Trauma Theme Icon
Family Legacy vs. Individuality Theme Icon
...to work on the knots as Max thinks he hears boards creaking. She whispers that Iggy is going to distract Kenny while she frees Max, and there are enough cops that... (full context)
Chapter 20. Freak the Mighty Strikes Again
Friendship Theme Icon
The Power of Storytelling Theme Icon
Memory, Grief, and Trauma Theme Icon
...him, Max makes it up the stairs. He dives right through the plywood and into Iggy Lee’s arms. There are cops all around. (full context)
Chapter 21. The Accident of Nature
Friendship Theme Icon
The Power of Storytelling Theme Icon
...a bone in Loretta Lee’s neck, but she’s supposed to be okay. When Max sees Iggy looking so worried at the hospital, he starts to think that Iggy isn’t so bad. (full context)