Freaky Friday

Annabel loves sugary treats, and one of her favorites is marshmallows. These become a symbol of her desire for adult freedoms without corresponding adult responsibilities and help to develop the theme of The Responsibilities That Come with Adult Freedoms. Marshmallows first appear in the narrative when Annabel, on the night before the body swap, accuses her mother of eating marshmallows for breakfast whenever she wants to. It is a ridiculous accusation, because it is actually Annabel who loves marshmallows, not Ellen. In fact, Annabel has “never in [her] life seen [Ellen] eating a marshmallow” (13). What Annabel’s accusation actually indicates is that she longs for the freedom to make her own choices—as adults do—because she imagines that she would use this freedom to eat all the sugary treats she can get her hands on.

On the morning of the body swap, ironically, she sees the person in the Annabel body actually eating marshmallows for breakfast. This “Annabel” uses being full of marshmallows as an excuse for skipping the healthy breakfast the real Annabel offers her—ducking the responsibility of caring for her own health while enjoying the freedom of eating the marshmallows. Later, when Annabel is arguing with