The Book Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

In the book Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick readers see that family can be unsupportive and cruel, while friends are the opposite, and help each other more. In the story, Kevin, nicknamed Freak, becomes Maxwell Kane's best friend. They work together, helping each other and finally confronting Max's father. In contrast, Killer Kane has killed his wife and he tries to kill his son. The theme, friends can be more important than family depending on the situation is continually shown throughout the book.

Friends can help and trust each other, and they can work together. For example, Max carries Freak around on his shoulders, so they can explore different places faster, and so that Freak will not get trampled by the taller people. Grim tells Max, "And carrying poor Kevin around," when he realizes that Max is being kind and carrying Freak around (54). This quote shows that the friends, Freak and Max, are helping each other, Max is carrying Freak around, and other people are realizing the Freak and Max both help each other. The friends might also grow together through different experiences, like when they go to the principal's office for telling everyone at school that they became Freak the Mighty, "Anyhow, that's how Freak and I got sent to the principal's office for the first time together." (79) This event of Max and Freak going to the principal's office shows that Freak and Max are bonding through the experiences that they have together. They are not going to the principal's office, because they were fighting, they are going there because they are friends, and that they can support each other when they are at the principal's office.

Max and Freak also help each other in different things. Max helps Freak physically, while Freak helps Max mentally. For example, after they get away from Blade, Max says, "Me rescuing Freak. What a joke, right? Except, that's how it must have looked from a distance, because they never knew that it was Freak who rescued me - or his genius brain and my dumb body." (41). This is another example of Max and Freak helping each other, Freak helping Max become smarter and Max helping Freak not to get hurt. Freak and Max bond very closely, and it looks like Max thinks that Freak is more important than his family.

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Whereas, Max's relationship with his parents and grandparents, Max's mom is dead, Max's grandparents try to support him, but don't have the money. Now, Max's dad. His name is "Killer Kane". There is plenty of evidence, that Killer Kane doesn't like his son, or tries to make his son like him better by harming people in his presence (which is rather stupid), even going so far as to harm Max, and this will reflect on Max's opinion of him. Max explains in the book about being tied up by his father, "What he does is tie up my feet and hands then he loops the end of the rope around his waist." (110). There is another quote that could contain the reason why Killer Kane is tying his son up, "I have to clean this up,' he says, like he's talking to himself alone. 'I have to clean this up and get out of here." That's when his hands start to tighten hard and fast around my neck. I'm trying to fight him but I'm so small and weak and he's so big and strong, you can't stop him, no one can stop Killer Kane." (130). First, Killer Kane ties up his son, and now he is trying to kill him. Friends and family can be equal, depending on the situation, because Freak's mom, Gwen, is very nice to Freak, and tries to help him as much as she can. Max however, is unlucky that he is the son of a murderer. Freak helps Max get away from his father, "Sulfuric acid,' Freak says, raising up the gun and sighting along the barrel. 'Good old reliable H2SO1, and oily colorless, corrosive liquid used in dyes paints explosives and many chemical experiments.' Killer Kane says, 'You're lying, kid, you can't fool me.' That's when Freak squeezes the trigger and sprays him right in the eyes." (132), this example shows that Freak recues Max, before Killer Kane kills him. Even though, what Freak sprays Killer Kane with is not sulfuric acid, it is curry powder, soap and vinegar. This might be the thing that makes Max and Freak believe that Friends and family can be equal, depending on the situation. Although, Killer Kane looks like a horrible father figure, Grim and Gram do their best to help Max, but they have little money, and therefore cannot do much.

In conclusion, Friends and family can be equal, depending on the situation. There has been evidence presented to agree with this fact. Some of the evidence is, that Max's father, Killer Kane kidnaps his son, and then tries to kill him. Freak, Max's best friend saves Max from Killer Kane, and before that, they have many fun adventures together before that. This is why the statement friends can be more important that family becomes true for this book, Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick.

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