Essay On Freak The Mighty

“Sometimes in life you find a special friend. Someone who changes your life just by being part of it. Someone who makes you laugh until you can’t stop; Someone who makes you believe that there really is a good in the world. Someone who convinces you that there is an unlocked door just waiting for you to open it” - Unknown.

In Rodman Philbrick's Freak the Mighty he illustrates the idea of friendship. Max and Kevin a.k.a. Freak the Mighty go through many difficulties in life. One has physical problems and the other mental problems. They help each other get through these problems by supporting one another. For example when they get stuck in the tenements (apartments), or when they would go on their “quests.” When Max got upset when they talked

about his father Freak came to calm him and assure him things would be alright. A strong friendship can transform people’s lives.
To start with, Max doesn’t have a foundation from his parents.

His father kills his mother, then the father goes to jail and Max gets stuck with his grandparents. Max is lost, needs a friend desperately and needs help. He even admits it on the first page, “I never had a brain until Freak came along.” He always thought that his head was empty. “Not that I have any ideas. My brain is vacant” (6). He said he was brainless, stupid, couldn’t learn… He did not believe in himself and Freak came along to help him understand that there is an “...unlocked door just waiting for you to open it.” -Unknown

That being the case, Max would never believe in himself and changed in life without Freak there to help him.

In consequence, a friend can act as a foundation in place of a father. Max didn’t have a good dad and his mother was killed. He always thought he was going to be exactly like his father and he would hate to think about it too. One day when they deliver a purse to Loretta Lee, they get stuck in her apartment and have to talk about Kenny Kane (Max’s father). After a while Max runs out, sits on a bench and starts crying. Then Freak goes over there to assure him that Max is himself and not his father. On the other hand, Max is a foundation to Freak in the physical and emotional way. Max carries him around on his shoulders because Freaks legs don’t work and he can’t grow tall. Max also stands up for Freak when he needs it. These examples show that Freak and Max both support each other

in hard times and act as each others foundations.
Under those circumstances, Max continued to believe in himself even after Kevin dies.

Kevin (Freak) changed Max’s life and went to lead him to the “unlocked door” that was waiting for him. His grandparents told him, “Most of us go all the way through life and we never have a friend like Kevin” (159), and Max knew that Freak had transformed his life. For example at the end Max was able to write a book about their adventures because of Freaks belief in him. Max continues to believe that he can read and can learn all because of his friendship with Kevin. A big change from Max’s previous self that thought of himself as stupid and learning

deficient.
In the real world, friendship needs to happen in order for a person to have a happier life. Just like in the book, friendship can change a person’s life for the better. Without a father, a son needs another person who they can talk to about their personal problems and trust.
Given these points, Max’s life was affected greatly by Freak and his positive attitude. Without Freak in his life, Max would’ve never believed in himself and tried hard in school. This proves that friendship can transform peoples lives around to become better people, believe, and not be alone. The world needs more connected bonds between people in order for it to be a better place.