Freaky Friday

In this section of the text, the theme of The Responsibilities that Come with Adult Freedoms is further developed, using the same plot pattern established in Chapters 3-5: Annabel tries without much success to fulfill Ellen’s adult responsibilities, causing Annabel to realize that adult life is more complex than it seems from the outside. Annabel’s obstacles grow more serious and frequent in this part of the story, however. As the pace of the action intensifies, Annabel’s primary aim shifts from having a fun day enjoying adult freedoms to simply getting through the day without a major disaster.

The conflict with Mrs. Schmauss, Ben being left alone after school, and the upcoming client dinner are all more serious situations than Annabel’s inability to do laundry or make coffee. As the pressure on Annabel mounts, the text balances this tension with physical humor, amusing dialogue, and Annabel’s witty narration, keeping the overall tone of the story light. When Annabel realizes that Ben is at the center of the crowd on the street and that she has accidentally abandoned him, the fact that she is approaching with her arms full of liquor bottles makes the scene comic instead of tragic. When a police officer claims that “it’s a wise son that knows his own mother,” Annabel—knowing that she is not really Ellen—replies with witty irony “You might say it, I wouldn’t” (49). When Annabel hears Mrs. Schmauss’s racist remarks and derogatory comments about Annabel herself, she is upset, but she remains self-assured and maintains her ironic perspective, thinking “Rose Schmauss, you are one demented lady” and deciding that “the whole conversation [is] so wild” that she cannot even maintain her anger (44).

The argument that Annabel has with Mrs. Schmauss adds another outside perspective to Annabel’s gradually growing picture of herself. Although the cleaner only intends to be cruel when she expresses amazement at the idea of Annabel trying to be helpful and derides Ellen for allowing Annabel to be a “pig,” her remarks actually help Annabel make some progress toward the important goal of Learning to Value and Understand Oneself (43). It is another example of how, little by little, the people around Annabel help her to see that her personality and behavior hold her back—her external appearance has nothing to do with it.

The exchange with Mrs. Schmauss also makes it clear that Ellen, far from being unusually strict—as Annabel has accused her of being—is actually somewhat permissive compared to other parents. Mrs. Schmauss’s character illustrates the American cultural divide that was forming in the 1970s. She is a conservative who does not believe that all people are equal and who believes in more traditional ways of raising children. She sees Annabel’s behavior—and Ellen’s excuses for it—as evidence of weak parenting that will lead to drug use and all kinds of misguided behavior. By contrast, the Andrews family are liberals. They do believe in human equality, and both Ellen and Bill believe in giving children a little leeway to explore the world and their place in it. Just as Annabel emerges from the conflict with Mrs. Schmauss with a clearer perspective on herself, she also now has a clearer perspective on her family—especially her mother.

Finally, Annabel also makes some progress in her Appreciation for Family Bonds where Ben is concerned. At first, Annabel continues to ignore evidence of Ben’s positive qualities. He is an obedient child: Even though he is frightened when Ellen does not arrive to pick him up, he does not cross the street alone—because he has been told not to. He is a loyal brother: He dislikes Mrs. Schmauss “mostly […] because she says Annabel is a spoiled brat and a pig” (52). Annabel at first refuses to see what is right in front of her, though, deciding that Ben is being childish for not walking home by himself and that he is lying about the reason he dislikes Mrs. Schmauss.

Fortunately, she probes for more information. She learns how much Ben admires her and how willing he is to forgive her meanness. She discovers that not only has she been misjudging her brother but that his admiration for her can be a source of confidence: It feels good to know that Ben thinks she is creative, daring, and smart and to know that she has positive qualities that have nothing to do with her weight or eye color. Significantly, when he begins to cry as he talks about Annabel hating him, she responds empathetically to him for the first time, drying his tears and helping him blow his nose.