Freak the Mighty
YOU CAN'T JUDGE A BOOK BY THE COVER
BOOK TITLE
Freak the Mighty's theme is Don't judge a book by the cover. The title points to theme by having 2 complete opposite people becoming friends against the odds. For example, Max is very tall and just because he is, people think he's stupid. Freak has a birth defect and people judge him for it too.
CONFLICT & OUTCOME
Man vs. Society
This conflict points to theme because before you make judgements about people, you should get to know them on a deeper, more personal level. Some examples would be that before people met Max, they thought he was dangerous because of how tall he is. People didn't even know him and they assumed he was dumb. Freak has Morquio's Syndrome. Before people meet him, they assume he's incompetent and stupid. Freak is very smart and an Max is a gentle person despite his size.
CHARACTER'S REMARKS AND/OR ACTIONS
People make fun of them.
This points to theme because society always tries to make you act, look or be a certain way. For example, Grim and Gram think that since Max is so tall, he's dangerous. Also, they said "Poor Freak" when they saw him. This proves that "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me" because Max and Freak don't care what others say about them.
CONTRASTS BETWEEN CHARACTERS
This points to theme because just because you look a certain way doesn't mean you are what people think you are. For example, Freak is a person with Morquio's syndrome, so people think he's not a normal. It turns out that Freak is a capable person and very intelligent. Max was labeled as "L.D" because he is very tall. No one should be judged just by looking at them.
QUOTE
"It all goes to show, like Grim says, that you can't judge a book by the cover."