Dyslexia In Freak The Mighty

“Everybody needs something to hope for.” (p. 157) Says Dr. Spivak to Max after the death of Kevin. Indeed, he is right. Hope can solve problems for everyone. There are plenty of problems in the world. People struggle with disabilities and certain limiting conditions. Though the road may be rough, there are ways that these people cope with their problems and find hope. Max has a problem. He is dyslexic, which is always causing him to talk negatively about himself. Kevin also has an issue that makes his body small. Nevertheless, he makes up for it by making his brain bigger. Together, Kevin and Max become Freak the Mighty. Freak the Mighty fosters their friendship, makes them as one person, and helps them deal with their individual problems.

It is called dyslexia. This disorder makes him unable to read or write very well. Max feels that his condition makes him less smart most other people. In result, he is always talking negatively about himself. He often calls himself names and his mindset seems to almost always be against himself. He shows this from the very beginning of the book. In the first sentence of the book Max says, “I never had a brain until Freak came along and let me borrow his for a while.” (p. 1) There is a little bit of truth to what he says, but he stretches it much too far. It is, in fact, true that dyslexia is a learning disorder. It is also true that Max cannot read as well as other people. In these ways, the things he says about himself are true. However, having dyslexia does not make you “dumb,” like he says it does. He does not realize that it just makes you unable to read and write like others. There is a large difference between not being smart and unable to read. In these ways, the things that Max says about himself are true. Readers can tell that Max has a very low self-esteem. The comments he makes concerning himself pull his esteem and confidence