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In Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick, do you believe Max’s dad when he says, “I know what they told you. It’s all a big lie, you...

Right before Max is kidnapped by his father, Killer Kane says the following to his son on Christmas Eve:


“I know what they told you. It’s all a big lie, you understand? I never killed anybody, and that’s the truth, so help me God” (101).


There is certainly an element of hope behind hearing these words. Many convicts say that they are innocent, but the evidence says otherwise. For children like Max, who must endure...

Right before Max is kidnapped by his father, Killer Kane says the following to his son on Christmas Eve:



“I know what they told you. It’s all a big lie, you understand? I never killed anybody, and that’s the truth, so help me God” (101).



There is certainly an element of hope behind hearing these words. Many convicts say that they are innocent, but the evidence says otherwise. For children like Max, who must endure life without parents because of incarceration, it would be very tempting to want to believe that his father is not guilty. There are so many red flags, though, that point to the fact that Killer Kane isn't telling the truth. First, there's the name, "Killer Kane." People don't get nicknames like that for no reason. Second, he's been in jail for at least ten years which means that he was convicted of the crime they say he committed. Just because he claims it isn't true does not take away the fact that a jury must have found him guilty, which is valid evidence that he did kill someone. Finally, he's in the act of committing a crime by kidnapping his own son out of bed in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve. Good guys and heroes don't need to use the back door to get what they want; bad guys do that. 

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