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Chapter 11
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 feels horrible for Freak, who hates it when people try to rub his head. Max races back around the millpond and when they get to Freak’s house, Freak declares that they had quite the adventure. Max insists that they were lucky to get out alive. Freak nonchalantly says that the things Loretta Lee said about his dad are true, but Gwen won’t talk about it. Freak says he knows his dad left because of him, but good riddance. Max starts laughing for seemingly no reason.
Max’s laughter is likely a way to release tension after a very scary experience. That he’s able to laugh with Freak about what happened helps to cement the boys’ friendship, while Freak’s willingness to talk about his dad does the same. Sharing things like this with each other helps the boys to get to know each other, which will later allow them to better defend each other too.
Themes
Max feels horrible in the week before school starts. Gram is thrilled that Max is in eighth grade now, but Max thinks that his seventh-grade teachers just didn’t want to deal with him anymore. She takes Max shopping for new clothes and shoes, which is a horrible experience for Max. The girl at the shoe store smirks at him, and the manager is a jerk. Back at home, Grim and Gram comment on how big and grown-up Max looks. Max explains that this year, he’s going to be in the same classes as Freak. This means that Max will be in the “smart classes” instead of the ones for kids with learning disabilities. Gram is hesitant to allow this at first, but Grim suggests that all Max might need to do well in school is a friend.
Max thoughts about his seventh-grade teachers and the clerks at the stores suggest that he doesn’t expect any adults in his life to think well of him or to treat him kindly, an outlook that stems from the fact that most adults expect Max to be just like Kenny. When Grim suggests that Max might need a friend to do well in school, it opens up the possibility that Grim is starting to rethink how he conceptualizes Max. Max might not be the terrifying person that Grim thought—he might just be lonely.
Themes
The other kids seem to not notice Max and Freak at first, but midway through the day, Max starts to hear whispers in the hallway. In English class, Mrs. Donelli asks Max to stand up and say something about his summer. Max never speaks in class—if Mrs. Donelli weren’t a new teacher, she’d know this. Kids start to chant “Maxi Pad” and things about Kenny; eventually, kids start throwing things. Mrs. Donelli looks scandalized. Freak climbs onto his desk, shouts for order, and tells Mrs. Donelli that he’s only Kevin some of the time. When she asks for an example, Freak climbs onto Max’s shoulders and he gives Max the signal to stand up. Mrs. Donelli’s eyes go wide.
In this situation, Mrs. Donelli’s newness means that she doesn’t have the information she’d need to know that she should ignore Max—and so she can’t keep her class under control. Memory, in this case, can’t help her. Freak’s choice to take over the situation and make this about Freak the Mighty shows that Grim might be right: Max might just need a friend. Max clearly has no issues following Freak’s directions and he’s able to feel as though he’s doing something meaningful in support of Freak here.
Themes
Max feels strong and smart as Freak says that sometimes, they’re nine feet tall and they slay dragons. Freak ignores Mrs. Donelli’s request that they sit down and he guides Max around the room, leading the rest of the kids in a chant of “Freak the Mighty!” Max feels like he’s dancing. For this, Max and Freak end up in the principal’s office. The principal, Mrs. Addison, allows Freak to explain. Freak uses so many big words that Mrs. Addison has to use her dictionary. She seems to get a kick out of Freak and so she lets the boys go.
Max’s sense of confidence and purpose speaks to the power of friendship. Even as Max does something that’s clearly going to get him in trouble, Max doesn’t worry about that—he’s only focused on how great his connection with Freak makes him feel. Max likely feels even better about being Freak’s friend when Freak is able to charm Mrs. Addison, as it shows Max that friendship can do all sorts of amazing things.
Themes
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