Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment Theme of Fate and Free Will

Destiny isn't a word to throw around lightly, but in Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment, Max has to figure out if the voice in her head is telling the truth and she's really destined to save the world. It's hard enough to be a part of the flock—they don't get the same freedoms and childhood experiences as other kids do—but despite all of this, Max and the rest of her avian-human brethren want desperately to make a life for themselves. They don't want to play by the School's rules and just resign themselves to lives as test subjects. The question is: Will they succeed? Or are they destined to just be another experiment in the School's history?

Questions About Fate and Free Will

  1. What do you think Jeb means when he tells Max that she's destined to save the world?
  2. Does the fact that they're hybrids mean that the kids can't live a normal life?
  3. What do you think would happen if the flock members tried to go to a regular school and settle down somewhere?
  4. Why don't any of the Erasers seem to have a sense of individuality outside of their pack?

Chew on This

Try on an opinion or two, start a debate, or play the devil’s advocate.

Although she has a little voice in her head that continues to tell her what to do and what her eventual fate is (to save the world), Max is determined to do things her way and to make the choices that will best serve her flock.

The flock members were previously convinced that they'd never have "real" families or parents, but with the information they find at the Institute, they finally have a chance to alter their destinies and maybe even find happiness with the people they come from.