Essay Puzzle for “Was Freak Lucky or Unlucky?”
Directions: Cut out the pieces of the essay and rearrange them (like parts of a puzzle) so that they make sense. Use the
persuasive essay outline to help you.
Although Kevin (also known as Freak) never lives to see his high-school years, he was lucky for the following reasons: he
experienced true friendship, embarked on real-life quests, and found a chance to make his life meaningful.
Concerning the question of whether Freak was lucky or unlucky, the answer is easy. Freak’s illness may have cut short
his life, but it surely did not shorten his luck.
Finally, Freak was mainly lucky because he discovered a way to make his life meaningful.
How could a kid who suffered from a life-shortening illness be lucky?
In conclusion, because Freak found a true friend in Max, went on real-life quests, and made his life meaningful, he was
lucky even if his life was short.
This question becomes relevant in Rodman Philbrick’s realistic fictional novel Freak the Mighty. This novel features a
tale of two adolescent boys—Kevin, the boy whose internal organs are growing faster than he is, and Max—who team
up together, in the fashion of the Arthurian knights of old, and brave dragons in the form of knife-wielding bullies,
handicaps, dangerous and disappointing family members, and more.
Freak was also lucky because the partnership of Freak the Mighty resulted in real-life quests.
As mentioned, Freak was lucky because he found true friendship in the unlikely form of Maxwell Kane.
“'It’s not me who had quite a day’ I say. ‘Kevin is the one. All he did is try to eat lunch’” (Philbrick 87).
This evidence shows that Max was so concerned about Freak that he did not even remember the thing that upset him
earlier that day—his father’s possible return. Freak was truly fortunate during his short life to find a friend who put aside
the horrific memories of his own past in order to assure that his buddy was okay.
Max and Freak first become partners whenever they realize that each has something that the other needs: Max needs a
brain, and Freak needs a body. However, Max shows that this partnership is actually real friendship after Freak almost
chokes in the school cafeteria. Mrs. Addison shows concern for Max, but all Max cares about is Freak’s welfare:
The friendship of Freak the Mighty was so strong that each friend was willing to sacrifice his own welfare in order to
ensure the safety of the other. Freak the Mighty’s quests were so fraught with danger, bravery, and selflessness that they
would have made the Arthurian knights proud, and Freak’s final actions forever transformed his best friend into a boy
who was no longer haunted by the past but inspired by his friend’s legacy.
Throughout the novel, Freak talks with great fondness about the tales of King Arthur and his knights. To Freak, these
knights were like robots that found a way to improve the human body, overcome daunting obstacles, rescue damsels in
distress, etc. This dream finally became a reality whenever Kevin and Max teamed up to become Freak the Mighty:
they outwitted the knife-wielding Tony D., rescued the damsel in/of distress (Loretta Lee), and vanquished the dragon—
Killer Kane (37, 132-134).
Freak was captivated by the idea of chivalry, a code that the Arthurian knights held in high esteem. This code consisted
of selflessness, gallantry, honor, bravery, loyalty, etc. Freak was so fascinated by this concept that he risked his life to
save Max from Killer Kane:
Freak the Mighty’s quests demonstrate that Freak found a chance to live out his life-long dream—to conduct himself in
the fashion of an Arthurian knight. Not many people get to fulfill their ultimate dreams, but Freak found a way to
accomplish this feat during the limited years he has on this planet.
Freak’s actions reveal the strong impact that the ideas of chivalry had on him. Although some would argue that a boy
whose life was cut tragically short is unlucky, Freak found the opportunity to make his short life into a legacy. Thanks to
Freak’s brave actions, Max found inspiration to rise above his father’s murderous past and to conquer the fear that he had
an unyielding mental handicap. Few people—even those who live full lives—are able to inspire others the way that Freak
did for his buddy Max.
“'Guess what I got for Christmas, Mr. Kane? . . . this squirt gun and . . . sulfuric acid’ . . . That’s when Freak squeezes the
trigger and sprays him [Killer Kane] right in the eyes” (131 & 132).