Freaky Friday

What do Annabel’s changing thoughts about her mother, father, and brother reveal about how Annabel herself is changing? How does her self-image inform her understanding of others, and vice versa?

To what extent does the novel align with John Locke’s theory that personal identity is synonymous with consciousness? Is Annabel entirely the same person when she occupies her mother’s body, or does this new body facilitate changes in her identity? What about the “makeover” she undergoes after returning to her original body? What does the novel therefore suggest about the relationship between body and identity?

What does Annabel’s physical transformation at the end of the novel suggest about the connection between internal and external beauty? How do Boris’s reactions to Annabel support this idea?

How are the story’s symbolic use of marshmallows and its symbolic use of cooking related?

Why is Ben’s helicopter important to him, and what does Annabel’s appreciation for it at the end of the story mean to him? How does the symbolic use of the helicopter help to characterize Ben?

How do elements such as dialogue, Annabel’s narrative voice, the pacing of the plot, and plot events themselves all contribute to the novel’s humorous tone?

Which characters in the book represent progressive changes in American society in the late 1960s and early 1970s? Which characters represent more conservative forces? What messages about liberalism and conservatism are sent by their characterizations?

How are the changing roles of women in this time period reflected in the story’s plot and characterizations? How does the body swap between Annabel and Ellen support the story’s commentary on the changing roles of women?