It is ironic because the “New Tenements” are run down
slums and the New Testament is comprised of the story of Jesus Christ, which is of
hopeful lessons and ultimately, redemption and eternal life. This is actually fitting
because the story is about the power of imagination and transformation. Freak is
physically impaired and Max has never studied enough to become smart. But together, they
transform into something greater than themselves. Freak is constantly creatively playing
with language and they are always on some quest. Here again, they are transforming
themselves and their situation into something more profound. They do this to make life
more interesting and to inspire hope in seemingly hopeless situations. When they first
meet Loretta, there’s nothing very redeeming about her. But she eventually does become
symbolic of the damsel in distress and a friend. This is another transformation. This is
also fitting because her transformation parallels the boys’ mental transformation of the
“tenements” to the more inspiring stories of the
“testaments.”
This idea of transformation, via imagination,
is key to Freak’s happiness. Even though he knows he is very sick, he has to at least
try and believe that he can transform into the “first bionically improved human.” Freak
transfers the hope of his own transformation onto the world around
him.
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