What is the mood of Freak the Mighty?

First we need to look at the definition of mood.  Only
then can we continue to figure out what the mood is in Freak the
Mighty.  Mood is the atmosphere in a novel and refers to the emotions stirred
up within the reader.  This being said, I will admit this is not an easy question to
answer.  Considering all of the aspects of Freak the Mighty, I
would say that the book has a brooding mood overall.  Brooding means “showing deep
unhappiness of thought” where many of the major plot points are “darkly
menacing.” 

Max is the one telling the tale and he is
continually brooding because of one main reason:  Max lacks self-confidence.  We can see
this brooding mood even in the very first sentence of the
novel.

I never
had a brain until Freak came along and let me borrow his for a while, and that’s the
truth, the whole truth.

There
is no doubt the mood word has to be negative.  The second word used here is “never.”
 Max is showing how he doubts his intelligence, giving all of the credit to Kevin.  He
adds to the brooding mood by repeating, twice, that this statement is
truth. 

The brooding atmosphere continues through the
entire book.  Remember, Kevin has a serious birth defect. This is extensively discussed
through Max’s experience.  Even through their adventures, Max and Kevin constantly deal
with Blade and his rough gang of thugs.  Max has another major external problem, too: 
his father, Kenny “Killer” Kane.  Kane has murdered Max’s mother.  When Kane is let out
on parole, the mere news of this is enough to send Max in to hysterics.  Max is right to
react in this way.  Sure enough, Kane kidnaps Max on Christmas eve and holds him
prisoner in an old basement.  The image of Max alone and chained to a boiler (by his
father, no less) is enough to confirm the brooding mood later in the
book.

In conclusion, one has to admit that Kevin’s death
adds to the brooding mood of the novel.  Kevin’s death due to his heart being “too big
for his body” is devastating to Max.  Max literally broods in his basement “down under”
just as he has about so many other disappointments in his life.  We must end, however,
by saying that the novel does end on a positive note.  Max decides to immortalize his
friend, Kevin, by writing down the adventures of “Freak the Mighty,” the dual character
they have created together.