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.

Max suffers from a condition that is pretty usual.

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

down.
Many people in the world suffer from disabilities. They take care of these in a number of ways. People choose to add on impressive skills to make up for what they lack. Kevin makes up for his disabilities in a very useful way. He makes his mind bigger and smarter for what he lacks in body size. He is nearly a genius. Max says about Kevin in the book, “You should hear him talk. I think the rest of him is so small because his brain is so big.” Max is indeed correct. Kevin’s big brain makes up for his small body. In many cases, in fact, having a big brain is more useful than having a big body. Kevin gets out of many troublesome situations by using his brain rather than body. He thinks that the mind is much more important than the body, and he lives by believing this. For example, Kevin tells Max that you can think your way out of anything, even pain. Because pain is something that affects the physical part of a person, Kevin shows by this statement that mind can overpower the body. Kevin suffers from a severe condition, but he does not let it stop him from being great in his own way. He has a small body, but a big brain. In this way, Kevin is able to make up for his disabilities.
“You can’t really get what it means to be Freak the Mighty unless you are Freak the Mighty.” (p.143) Max says this when they are trying to explain what Freak the Mighty is to Gwen. What he says is true. Freak the Mighty is a combination of Kevin and Max, not anyone else. No one else can really understand how Freak the Mighty is one person, unless they are part of that person. Both Max and Kevin have unique conditions that limit them in certain ways. Nevertheless, these limitations are what make up Freak the Mighty. As Kevin and Max work together, each contributing their own part, Freak the Mighty becomes a whole person. Both boys lack something, but they both have something great to contribute. Max may not be very smart, but he has great body. Kevin, on the other hand, may not have much of a body at all, but he certainly is smart. Because of these reasons, Freak the Mighty fosters the their friendship. It is a way that they can support each other and become closer friends. On the first day that Max and Kevin go to school, Max feels very nervous and tense. He feels this way until Kevin gets on his shoulders and they become Freak the Mighty once again. Max says during this experience, “I’m standing there with Freak high above me and it feels right, it makes me feel strong and smart.” (p.78) This experience clearly shows how the individual person of Freak the Mighty is able to support both and help them to become better friends.
Becoming Freak the Mighty is a brilliant way to help both Kevin and Max cope with their problems. Max, for one, must deal with his problem of dyslexia. Because of this condition, he thinks that he is not smart. Freak the Mighty helps him realize that he does actually have potential at being intelligent. Kevin, on the other hand, must make up for his disorder, Morquio Syndrome. Thus, he is extremely bright to equal out for how small his body is. Freak the Mighty fosters their friendship. It is a combination of them. At one point, Max says, “Me and Freak are like this unit.” (p.13) He is talking about how Freak the Mighty is its own unit or person. We can see that there is a definite need for Freak the Mighty in both of their lives.