Friendship In Rodman Philbrick's Freak The Mighty

A quote you’ve probably heard is never judge a book by its cover. Well in the book Freak The Mighty that’s exactly what happens. It’s kind of like the movie superman and lots of other superhero movies they have a secret identity and everyone else thinks they are just another normal person. Well in Freak and Max’s case they aren’t so secret about their new identity Freak the mighty.

Max struggles with a lot such as his height and his trouble with learning. One main thing he struggles with is problems with his father. Max has never really known his father. When news about his father’s past start coming back up it is hard for Max to deal with them. Max has always been bullied because of his father and his struggles with learning. Bullies from Max’s school say, “‘Maxi Pad! Maxi Pad! Ask him quick about his dad! Killer Kane! Killer Kane! Had a kid who got no brain!’” (Philbrick 76). Freak was always accepted Max. That helped Max cope when he got called to the principal's office, where he received news that was not easy for him to handle. The principal uttered to Max, ‘“A request from your father. Maxwell, your father wants to know if-”’ (Philbrick 84). Max goes on to reply, “‘ I don’t want to hear it!

Have you ever had an old person as a very close friend? These two matured kids do and they made a story about him. This essay is going to show you friendships of the main people and this jerk Norton.

Most people know about the attacks on Pearl Harbor but very few know about how it affected the lives of Japanese-Americans living on the islands. In the novel, Under the Blood-Red Sun, the author Graham Salisbury tells a story from the perspective of Tomikazu Nakaji, a young Japanese-American boy and his struggles with racism and becoming the man of his family. After the attack, the suspicions and biased racism of the non-immigrant Americans is raised, which lead to the wrongful arrests of Tomikazu's father and grandfather. This resulted with him having to get a job, take care of his family, and deal with the constant bullying of his neighbor, Keet Wilson. In the end, he manages to maintain the tasks his father had assigned him with the help of his friends. This book showed me the importance of friendship, honor, and persistence.

In the novel, Freak and Max become like brothers by how they act toward one another as if they are family. Freak states, ‘“We are Freak the Mighty, that’s who we are. We’re nine feet tall, in case you have not noticed’”(Philbrick 40). That statement shows that Freak and Max have a strong bond and they are proud of being friends. Then, Max says, ‘“I swear on the dictionary if Freak ever tries to eat Chop Suey again, I’ll dump it on his head or something”’(Philbrick 87). That statement proves to the reader that Max cares for Freak and will do whatever it takes to protect him. Finally, Max says

In fact, the same goes for Freak. Yet, at the same time, he is the opposite of Max, but in a good way. Standing at a near two feet tall, and having the intellectual capability of a genius, Freak can complete Max’s shortcomings. Unfortunately for Freak, not everyone is like Max, willing to like and accept him. He has been left out and laughed at his whole life

In chapter five, Gwen invited Max for dinner, but if she had not, I don’t think Freak and Max would have become good friends. Before they were close friends, Freak came over to Max’s house, but when his mother saw Max, she grabbed Freak and ran home, as Max looked like his father who was a criminal. When he goes to Gwen’s “apology dinner” on page twenty-five, Gwen sees that he is a well-behaved kid and kind to Freak. If she had not realized who he truly was at the dinner, she probably would not have approved of the friendship, and the two would not be as close as they are now.

However, after hanging out with Kevin, Max’s grades skyrocketed up and he began to believe in himself. This is because Kevin tended to use advanced phrases when speaking. For example, he would say “Television, the opiate of massives.” I don’t believe that he was aiming to be supercilious, but instead, I believe that that was Kevin’s way of improving Max’s

One example of when Freak and Max work together was when they were at the festival. Freak was unable to go to the fireworks, but with Max’s protection he was able to go. Not only was Max his protection, Freak was able to see the fireworks when Max lifted him on his shoulders. When they were down by the fireworks, “There are so many people crowded around, all he can see are feet

The theme of Rodman Philbrick's young-adult novel Freak the Mighty is the power of friendship and its ability to triumph over adversity. Max tells the "unvanquished truth" of his friendship with Kevin to help make clear how it forever changes him. At the end, Lorette told Max “Nothing’s a drag”. Likewise, ‘Freak’ chewing on chop suey. Also, Max’s Father chokes Lorette and the squirt gun had the same ingredients in them!

(Philbrick 128). Before becoming friends with Freak, Max would have never yelled that because he was considered the quiet kid that never talked to anyone. But because of the friendship it gave Max self confidence to yell and stand up to his dad. Another example is when Loretta, a side character in the novel, tried to help Max escape his dad. Loretta was considered to be the “Heroic Biker Babe” after she suffered a neck injury while helping Max escape.

Freak the Mighty a novel by Rodman Philbrick is about two boys that have an unlikely friendship one of them is named Kevin/Freak he is small, but a smart boy with a birth disease called Morquio syndrome this disease affects Kevin by making him very short and not being able to walk. The other main character in this novel is Max he is a gigantic boy but often bullied, a disabled kid. Kevin and max named themselves freak the mighty after the knights and the round table after going on many quest/adventures together and sharing experiences they have learned what having a friend is all about

Friendship is a common theme in all of our lives. Maintaining relationships takes lots of effort energy, and time. The hardest part about friendships is that they are based on emotions and characteristics. Something beyond our reach of control. The fictional pieces, When I Was the Greatest and Stand by Me explore true friendships, demonstrating the journey and bounds of relationships.

In the novel, Freak the Mighty, author Rodman PhilBrick wrote about a boy(Max) who had a learning disability, hated school, and was a social outcast to the rest of the world. Later in the novel Max met Kevin, a boy who had a physical disability. The two boys instantly became friends and as their friendship grew, they grew both mentally and physically. Both Kevin, who was nicknamed “Freak”, and Max gained a good friend when they met each other. By gaining a good friend, they changed people’s lives. One way the author showed how a good friend can change one’s life is by showing how different Max acted after he became friends with Freak. Another way Rodman Philbrick showed that in the novel, is by telling how Freak the Mighty, a nickname that Freak came up with for him and Max, changed how other people looked and acted towards both Max and Freak when they were together. This was shown a final time when Max and Freak the Mighty changed Freaks’ life. If one has a good friend by his side, then together the two friends can change lives.

Many years later, when Max is in middle school, he finds out that Freak and his mother, Gwen (referred to as "The Fair Gwennivere") are moving into the house next door. When Max initially approaches Freak, Freak acts with hostility. However, some time later, Max saves Kevin's toy ornithopter from a tree and they start to become friends. On the Fourth of July, they go to see the fireworks show and are attacked by an older boy, Tony "Blade" D. and his gang but avoid any mental or physical conflict. After the show, Blade chases the two with his gang after Freak calls him a cretin. Despite Max's lack of knowledge and disability, he escapes by acting on Freak's orders, but the two are driven into a muddy millpond, Freak riding on Max's shoulders. Freak gets the