Friendship Theme Analysis

Freak the Mighty tells the unlikely story of the friendship that develops between Max, a frighteningly tall (and in his own opinion, unintelligent) eighth grader and his new neighbor, a boy named Kevin. Kevin—whom Max calls “Freak” for most of the novel—has Morquio syndrome, which means that he has dwarfism and he suffers from a number of related health issues. But Freak is also the smartest person Max has ever met. As the boys get to know each other, develop their friendship, and come up with the persona they call Freak the Mighty—that is, Freak on Max’s shoulders, who possesses their combined height, strength, and brainpower—the novel suggests that meaningful friendship isn’t as simple as just liking or spending time with someone. Rather, friendships are valuable when they help friends to feel deeply appreciated, understood, and to discover who they are—or who they want to be.

When Max starts his story, he implies that he’s never had a friend before. This is because almost everyone is afraid of him due to his height and because of the fact that his father, who’s known around town as “Killer Kenny,” murdered Max’s mother (Annie) when Max was little. Because Max looks like Kenny, most people treat Max with caution and fear. To many, he’s simply not friend material. In addition to the fact that others ostracize Max, he also intentionally ostracizes himself. He lives with his grandparents, Grim and Gram, and though they’d like Max to live upstairs, Max insists on living in the basement, which he calls “the down under.” Max tries so hard to isolate himself because he so fully believes in his lack of intelligence and he’s sure that he’s going to become violent one day—but this doesn’t mean that he doesn’t secretly desire friendship. Being isolated is lonely and difficult, but it’s much easier than trying to make friends. Freak, too, is isolated due to his physical disabilities—but like Max, he also desires friendship. When the boys cross paths, they both bring something to the table that the other doesn’t have. The first time the boys meet, Max is able to use his height to rescue Freak’s ornithopter (a motorized bird) from a tree, and Freak introduces Max to the power of storytelling and of imagination. After Freak leaves Max’s room that first day, Max cries of happiness. Human connection, this emotional reaction suggests, is absolutely necessary to a fulfilling life.

The boys come up with their shared persona of Freak the Mighty on the Fourth of July, when Freak can’t see the fireworks due to his height and so Max picks Freak up and sets him on his shoulders so that he can see. As the boys begin to spend more and more time as Freak the Mighty, they both become increasingly confident and close, as Freak the Mighty gives both of them qualities they don’t have on their own. For the first time in Max’s life, he gets to feel smart, as being Freak the Mighty lets him “borrow” Freak’s brain. Freak is in charge while they’re Freak the Mighty: he tells Max where to go and what to do by pulling on his hair and kicking him gently, which gives Max a sense of comfort and pride in his abilities. For Freak’s part, he finally gets to see the world from up high and enjoy a type of mobility and freedom he doesn’t ever get on his own two feet, where he normally walks with the help of crutches and leg braces. As Freak the Mighty, Max in particular gets to feel proud of who he is for the first time. The experience of allowing Freak to dictate his movements helps Max to trust himself, which in turn makes him willing to follow Freak into all manner of questionable situations—and get them back out again thanks to his strength and size, combined with Freak’s quick thinking. Together, the boys are able to go on adventures that neither could’ve gone on alone, which adds richness to both their lives as well as increases their affection for and trust in each other.

Moreover, as the novel progresses, both Max and Freak are able to help shared acquaintances and friends think about the boys differently. While Max scares many people at first, a number of people, from Grim and Gram to Max and Freak’s school principal, are able to see that Max isn’t actually a terrifying person as they watch Max interact with Freak. Rather, the way that Max behaves around Freak drives home for them that Max is a generous and sensitive individual. Max is also able to help others shift or tweak the way they think about Freak. Above all else, Max honors Freak’s dignity and he tries not to do anything that makes Freak seem or feel pitiable or weak—and so when others suggest that Freak is a “poor boy” or that he struggles a lot, Max pushes back. Through this, he encourages others to focus on all the things that Freak can do, something that transforms Freak in the minds of others from a “poor boy” to a fully-fledged person who lived a full, if tragically short, life (Freak dies from heart complications related to Morquio syndrome at the end of the novel). Through this mutually enriching friendship, and specifically through writing Freak the Mighty’s story (the novel itself) in the year after Freak dies, Max is able to honor Freak’s memory. Further, he’s able to convey the power of friendship to afford others dignity, inspire confidence, and encourage kindness for all.