Max the Mighty

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 1998

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-6

Chapters 7-15

Chapters 16-20

Chapters 21-30

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Background

Authorial Context: Rodman Philbrick

Author Rodman Philbrick’s books for young readers often touch on topics such as abusive parents, rejection by peers, and running away—issues that can stress kids to the breaking point. Philbrick’s stories suggest how children can think about dealing with difficult people in their lives. His stories’ protagonists find their way to self-acceptance, and they find adult mentors whom they can trust.

In Freak the Mighty, the award-winning prequel to Max the Mighty, Max Kane witnesses his father murder his mother, grows into a giant of a boy whom others fear and reject, and befriends a brilliant, energetic boy with a fatal childhood disease. He’s at the center of a storm of problems he didn’t cause but must deal with. His experiences in the first book help him learn to see himself not as a loser but as a person of worth. In Max the Mighty, he confronts his fears of disaster and death and, emerging from them, realizes he’s a good and heroic person.

In Philbrick’s 2010 Newbery Honor book, The Mostly True Adventures of Homer P. Figg, a young boy undergoes an experience similar to Max’s. He runs away from an abusive uncle and searches for his older brother, whom the uncle sold to the military during the US Civil War. As in Max the Mighty, Homer’s quest connects him to a traveling group that includes an entertaining con man. Though Homer deals with adults by becoming an expert liar, he’s determined to do the right thing. His adventures help him realize he’s capable of heroism and deserves the care and support of a loving family.

Social Context: Domestic Violence

In Max the Mighty, a man known as the Undertaker assaults his wife, the mother of young Rachel. This assault is a form of domestic violence, or physical aggression against a family member or an intimate partner. The most common forms are spouse against spouse and parent against child. Domestic violence includes assault and battery, verbal abuse, and sexual abuse, but it also can take the form of intimidation, economic control, and other forms of coercion backed by the threat of violence. In nearly all cases, domestic violence “is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner” (“Domestic Violence,” United States Department of Justice, https://www.justice.gov/ovw/domestic-violence). Most victims are women or girls. As many as one-third of females are, at some point in their lives, subject to domestic violence.

This crime is vastly underreported because victims fear retaliation by their assailants. In Max the Mighty, young Rachel’s mother is systematically browbeaten and intimidated into letting her husband, the Undertaker, take advantage of her and get away with acts of domestic violence. Rachel, too, is at risk from him, but her mother can’t work up the nerve to defy him and protect her daughter. When finally she does, he knocks her unconscious, then frames Max for the crime, and once again she’s afraid to say anything against the man.

Chronic domestic violence can lead to medical problems. Rachel’s mother has bruised eyes, walks awkwardly as if injured, and has the pale skin of a neglected and unhealthy person. Their situation is typical of many that involve domestic violence, which can persist for months or years and sometimes end in the murder of the victim.

Cultures that regard women as second-class citizens tend to have higher levels of domestic violence. Children raised in such homes often grow up to believe that violence is a normal part of relationships. “Physical abuse during childhood increases the risk of future victimization among women and the risk of future perpetration of abuse by men more than two-fold” (“Children and Domestic Violence,” California Courts: The Judicial Branch of California https://www.courts.ca.gov/1268.htm). Victims, meanwhile, often must struggle against the common perception that their accusations are made up. Prevention includes legislative efforts to remove laws that put women at a disadvantage, along with counseling and community services that can help stem the tide of violence. However, the problem persists, and much work remains to be done so that people can live without fear of attack from closely connected people.