Freak the Mighty
By Rodman Philbrick
Maxwell Kane is someone who automatically thinks he is a no-brainer. Except he’s not. Nobody really is. It’s kind of like the negative emotion that has been building up from his heart, his soul. It is that alien hacking into his brain system, aiming straight to invade his mind. They control that part of him to convince him that everything is like mission impossible. And no, I’m not being overly dramatic or crazy like a sci-fi fan or anything. Max’s mind is the thing that stops him from trying. He was resisting to change. He did not want to change. It’s like Max had been living his life as a loner, and had liked it that way, until Freak came along and changed the script of his life.
He knew the truth that Max didn’t. “It’s all in your head, Max, everything you can remember,” he had said. He just knew that Max was smarter than he thinks. He tried to stop Max from thinking,“me in the smart class? No way.” It is his doubtful personality that had avoided him from trying hard.
It is like how Max always hides his confidence with “makeup“, to cover his weakness up. All Max does is lock himself in the down under, in his own world, escaping from the society. That’s just not right. He always says, “I never had a brain until Freak came along...” Sure, but what does that mean? Is he going to rely on Freak forever? He has his own brain, just that he never believed it existed with all of his negative thoughts processing inside his head. Ugh, I mean no one can actually live without a brain anyways...
Maxwell Kane is someone who automatically thinks he is a no-brainer. Except he’s not. Nobody really is. It’s kind of like the negative emotion that has been building up from his heart, his soul. It is that alien hacking into his brain system, aiming straight to invade his mind. They control that part of him to convince him that everything is like mission impossible. And no, I’m not being overly dramatic or crazy like a sci-fi fan or anything. Max’s mind is the thing that stops him from trying. He was resisting to change. He did not want to change. It’s like Max had been living his life as a loner, and had liked it that way, until Freak came along and changed the script of his life.
He knew the truth that Max didn’t. “It’s all in your head, Max, everything you can remember,” he had said. He just knew that Max was smarter than he thinks. He tried to stop Max from thinking,“me in the smart class? No way.” It is his doubtful personality that had avoided him from trying hard.
It is like how Max always hides his confidence with “makeup“, to cover his weakness up. All Max does is lock himself in the down under, in his own world, escaping from the society. That’s just not right. He always says, “I never had a brain until Freak came along...” Sure, but what does that mean? Is he going to rely on Freak forever? He has his own brain, just that he never believed it existed with all of his negative thoughts processing inside his head. Ugh, I mean no one can actually live without a brain anyways...
It just occurs to me that courage is something required for an heroin, and yet, it’s no good if he is just going through the coward’s path, spending his life in the darkness, just because he is frightened. If Max is truly the heroin, he must overcome his shadows --Killer Kane.
So, I’m thinking back when David Kane, his father, “captured” him and locked him up in the abandoned buildings. All Max says is, “yes, sir” and “no, sir” every time his father demands for an answer with a question. I’m thinking, “is this the reaction a human is suppose to give when your life is being threatened?” That way of dealing with a situation is so weakling-like. Max did not do anything at first to defend or attack. He just went along with everything, as if this was just part of his daily life, like he had already given up on the battle, before it even begin. He was lacking certainty, insecure, and did not do anything to change his fate…until Loretta gets strangled by Killer Kane.
And then it seems like Max had been shot with a power-up transformation gun. He defended and tried to save the innocents. He tried to fight back, even with his hands numbed. Even when he thinks that attacking him was just the same as trying to kill a dinosaur. He kind of learned that he should have faith in himself. It is the confidence gained that had made him fight so bravely, so wisely. It’s like superman comes and saves the day!…except, not really.
It’s strange how you can feel so confident one second, and then become the opposite, the next second. I remember the feeling I had, when my parents praised me for my efforts in doing something smart. They gave me the motivation to work harder. They made me more hopeful. It’s feels good for once to know that I’m useful, that confidence you have when you feel that you’re capable of doing something that is pleasurable.
So, I’m thinking back when David Kane, his father, “captured” him and locked him up in the abandoned buildings. All Max says is, “yes, sir” and “no, sir” every time his father demands for an answer with a question. I’m thinking, “is this the reaction a human is suppose to give when your life is being threatened?” That way of dealing with a situation is so weakling-like. Max did not do anything at first to defend or attack. He just went along with everything, as if this was just part of his daily life, like he had already given up on the battle, before it even begin. He was lacking certainty, insecure, and did not do anything to change his fate…until Loretta gets strangled by Killer Kane.
And then it seems like Max had been shot with a power-up transformation gun. He defended and tried to save the innocents. He tried to fight back, even with his hands numbed. Even when he thinks that attacking him was just the same as trying to kill a dinosaur. He kind of learned that he should have faith in himself. It is the confidence gained that had made him fight so bravely, so wisely. It’s like superman comes and saves the day!…except, not really.
It’s strange how you can feel so confident one second, and then become the opposite, the next second. I remember the feeling I had, when my parents praised me for my efforts in doing something smart. They gave me the motivation to work harder. They made me more hopeful. It’s feels good for once to know that I’m useful, that confidence you have when you feel that you’re capable of doing something that is pleasurable.
Max, in this case, just needed that type of motivation to feel faithful in himself. Lord, it’s awkward how something so small can affect people so much. It’s only normal to have more self-esteem inside of you, to be proud of being who you are, and not that fake identity you’ve created to hide your lack of assurance.
