Summary
A wakes up in the body of Roger Wilson and quickly realizes it is time for Roger to go to church. Before leaving, A quickly creates the email address A gave Rhiannon the previous night as Nathan, hoping that Rhiannon will send a message. While at church, A reflects on the similarities between all religions. As a result of moving from body to body each day, A has attended many religious services and experienced several different faiths. This experience has left A with the impression that all religions have more in common than they would like to admit and that most religious belief systems are strikingly similar. Similarly, A believes that the biological similarities between men and women far exceed the differences and that race is a “social construction,” not “an inherent difference.” A extends this idea to humanity as a whole, asserting that human beings in general “have about 98 percent in common with each other,” but tend to focus on “the 2 percent that’s different,” which is the root of all conflict. A attributes their success in navigating the various lives they inhabit to this 98% similarity that exists between all people.
Later that night, A logs onto the family computer and checks for emails from Rhiannon. Seeing that Rhiannon has not sent a message yet, A decides to be proactive and contact her first. A writes a message as Nathan, telling Rhiannon that it was lovely to meet her at the party and asking her to keep in touch. A then logs into the other email account, leading to a shocking discovery. The real Nathan Daldry has sent a threatening email to A’s account, accusing A of possessing him and declaring that he will “not remain quiet.” On the day A occupied Nathan's body, A forgot to clear Nathan’s search history, leaving Nathan with a way to get in contact. After changing the email’s password, A reflects on Nathan’s promise that he “will not remain quiet” and wonders what this could mean. For a while, A has trouble sleeping. Though A’s existence has always involved switching from body to body involuntarily, A always felt in control to some extent. Since A’s connection with Rhiannon began, more people have become involved in A’s life beyond a 24-hour period, which leads A to feel more out of control than ever before.
The next morning, A wakes up as Margaret Weiss, a girl who lives four hours away from Rhiannon. Before school, A checks the email they have set up as Nathan. A is happy to see an email waiting from Rhiannon. In it, Rhiannon writes that she is happy to have heard from “Nathan” and hopes to see him at a party again soon. The joy of Rhiannon’s email quickly subsides, however, when A opens the other email account. Another message from the real Nathan waits, this one informing A that Nathan has turned over the email address to the police.
A types Nathan’s name into a search engine and quickly finds an article entitled “The Devil Made Him Do It; Local boy, pulled over by police, claims demonic possession.” The article explains that police officers approached Nathan’s car early Sunday morning while he slept inside. Upon waking up, Nathan told the police officers that he had been possessed by a demon. Nathan recalled feeling like he was “sleepwalking” the whole day, vaguely conscious but not in control of his body. The article ends with Nathan pleading for others to come forward, stating he “can’t be the only one.” Although it is unlikely that anyone will take Nathan’s claims seriously, the article still leaves A worried. Nothing like this has ever happened to A before, and A feels both guilty and defensive.
At school, A struggles to escape the attentions of Margaret’s devoted boyfriend, Sam. A finally finds time to make it to the school library during 8th period. A uses a library computer to finish forwarding emails from the compromised account. For some reason, A cannot delete the two emails from the real Nathan. A still feels a responsibility toward Nathan and wants him to be able to reach out. In A's second email account, a message from Rhiannon waits, but its tone is much less joyful. Rhiannon has learned that Steve does not have a cousin named Nathan. Clearly suspicious, Rhiannon asks “Nathan” to explain. A immediately agrees but asks to meet in person, hoping to buy time to come up with a satisfactory lie.
The next day, A wakes up in the body of Megan Powell, who lives only an hour away from Rhiannon. Over email, Rhiannon has asked “Nathan” to meet her at Clover Bookstore at 5 P.M. A agrees to be there but cautions that it may not be in the way Rhiannon expects.
When A approaches Rhiannon at Clover Bookstore and sits down at her table, Rhiannon is startled and says that the seat is taken, since A appears to be Megan Powell, not Nathan. A then attempts to prepare Rhiannon, warning her that the story will sound unbelievable at first, but promising it is true. Leaving no details out, A explains everything to Rhiannon, beginning with the fact that A wakes up in a different body each morning. A recounts spending the day at the beach as Justin, visiting Rhiannon’s school as Amy, and attending the party as Nathan. At first, Rhiannon is confused and frustrated, believing A’s story to be an elaborate prank. A, however, maintains that it is the truth, mentioning specific details from each day in order to convince Rhiannon. When A confesses to loving Rhiannon, Rhiannon says she has had enough for one day and asks A to stop. Seeing that Rhiannon is confused but not disbelieving, A asks Rhiannon to meet at the same time and place the next day. A hopes that seeing A in yet another body will help Rhiannon believe the truth. Before parting, Rhiannon asks what A's real name is. A is shocked, as no one has ever asked this question before. A tells Rhiannon that they chose the name “A” as a child, hoping to maintain some individuality from the hosts. Rhiannon and A agree to meet the next day and part ways.
The next morning, A wakes up in the body of a football player named James, who shares a bedroom with his twin, Tom, and their older brother Paul. James has a big family—two brothers and two sisters—and they don’t live in the nice part of town. Realizing that James’s house won’t have a computer and that there won’t be an extra car to use, A settles in for a difficult day.
During James’s study hall at school, A uses a computer to check for messages and sees an email from Rhiannon. In it, Rhiannon has written that she wants to believe A, but she doesn’t know how. A writes back, telling Rhiannon about the host James and promising that the story is true. A then checks for emails from the real Nathan and finds another threatening message, this one demanding an explanation. A leaves the message unanswered but contemplates Nathan’s request. After lunch, A returns to the library to check for messages and figure out transportation to Clover Bookstore. A sees an email from Rhiannon offering to meet A in James's town, instead. Since it would take three buses to reach Rhiannon’s town, A happily accepts her offer. Rhiannon replies that she can’t wait to see what A looks like today, even though she’s still struggling to believe A’s story.
The rest of the day at James’s school is uneventful, except for an incident in biology class. A student has not done their homework, and he makes a joke about the devil possessing him. Other students start to chime in with jokes about the devil keeping them from doing their assignments, and A realizes that Nathan’s story has begun to spread. At football practice, A asks James’s twin, Tom, if he has heard about Nathan’s devil possession claims. Tom responds that the story is all over school, but he dismisses Nathan’s story as nonsense and lies. Tom also mentions that “religious crazies” are trying to make Nathan their poster child, which leaves A uneasy.
After football practice, A heads to Starbucks to meet Rhiannon. When Rhiannon arrives, she begins to quiz A on the several encounters they have shared. A successfully answers questions about Rhiannon’s beach day with Justin, the party at Steve’s house, and the day Amy spent at Rhiannon’s school. Satisfied, Rhiannon declares, “Either you’re an excellent liar, or you switch bodies every day. I have no idea which one is true.” As A tells Rhiannon all about the process of switching bodies each day, Rhiannon begins to feel sympathy for A. A tries to convey that the situation isn't all bad, explaining that it has allowed A to experience the world from many different angles. Even if it comes at the price of consistency, A appreciates having this broad perspective. Rhiannon challenges this, pointing out that A’s life will always lack long-lasting connections. Rhiannon says that A couldn’t possibly understand what it is like to be in a year-long relationship with someone, but A reminds Rhiannon of the day at the beach, claiming that it proves there is something between them. Rhiannon acknowledges that she felt a connection to A that day, but she thinks her history with Justin may have contributed to those feelings. By the end of the conversation, Rhiannon believes that A switches bodies each day. Her feelings, however, remain complicated. Rhiannon and A agree to see each other again, and A vows to show Rhiannon what love means.
A arrives late for dinner at James’s house, and James’s parents assign A all the dishwashing after dinner as punishment. While washing the dishes, A turns on the radio and hears a news story about Nathan Daldry. An interviewer asks Nathan about his experience, and Nathan again claims that he experienced a demon possession. Once more, Nathan calls for others to come forward, convinced that he cannot be the only one.
The next morning, A wakes up and thinks that they are in the same body. After looking around the room, however, A sees James sleeping in his bed. A then realizes they are occupying the body of James’s twin, Tom. A views this situation as a chance to closely observe James to see if he remembers the previous day. James does appear to be acting a little bit off, but he doesn’t offer any explanation. When A asks what James did after school the previous day, James says he went to Starbucks but mentions nothing about Rhiannon. A also asks James about checking his email, but James recalls nothing out of the ordinary. A concludes that James remembers the places he visited, but his brain has created an alternate version of events that fits more closely to his real life. Unlike Nathan Daldry, James does not seem to believe that he has experienced demon possession.
Back at the library, A decides to search Nathan’s name on the internet again. This time, over two thousand results show up, most from evangelical Christian websites. Feeling responsible for Nathan’s situation, A decides to email Nathan back. In the message, A writes that the devil is not to blame for Nathan’s confusing day.
At the end of the night, A reflects on the experience of spending two days in the same place. The days A spent as James and Tom have given A a hint of what it would be like to be "normal." Since A knows that this experience is unlikely to happen again, A resolves to let it go.
Analysis
A's reflection on religion reveals one of Every Day's central messages: there are far more similarities between people than differences, and conflict arises from not being able to put oneself in another's shoes. As a disembodied spirit who has occupied the bodies of vastly different host people, A is capable of this kind of empathy. In A's experience, "religions have much, much more in common than they like to admit," and "it's only in the finer points that it gets complicated and contentious" (77). A believes that this philosophy extends to people in general, claiming that, regardless of "religion or gender or race or geographic background," humans have "about 98 percent in common with each other" (77). Levithan's illustration of A as a character supports this claim, as A is able to successfully navigate through the lives of seemingly dissimilar people every day. Levithan seems to suggest that, if A is capable of this feat, people in general must be capable of seeing things from someone else's perspective.
Religion also plays a role in the development of Nathan as an antagonist. Although A hoped Nathan would eventually give up on his demon possession claims, Nathan only seems to heighten his efforts to find out the truth. With the evangelical Christian community's support, Nathan's story spreads in a way that A never anticipated it would. Intertwining Nathan's antagonistic presence in the novel with the religious fervor of those who fear the devil, Levithan presents a critique of unchecked zealousness and blind faith. Nathan's perspective is as narrow and judgmental as A's is broad and empathetic, which sets the stage for the two characters' battle as antagonist and protagonist.
Although Nathan is angrily harassing A, A does feel a responsibility to do right by Nathan. A knows that Nathan's struggle is a direct result of A's decision to see Rhiannon at the party, and because of this A feels the weight of guilt, similar to the guilt A felt after accidentally breaking a host's leg. The rules and restrictions A had previously followed were meant to prevent outcomes like this, and A had always committed to leaving host lives unaltered before meeting Rhiannon. This struggle between A's personal desires and A's feeling of responsibility toward the hosts continues throughout the novel, and Nathan's escalating desperation to learn the truth forces A to deeply examine the moral ramifications of living as a disembodied spirit.
The two days A spends inhabiting the bodies of twins James and Tom are a unique section in the novel. Before this point, A had never before experienced waking up in the same place two days in a row. This hint of normalcy is both exciting and devastating, and it comes at an interesting time. Before meeting Rhiannon, A had grown to accept the conditions of being a disembodied spirit, but Rhiannon's presence causes A to long for consistency for the first time. This makes A's two-day stay at James and Tom's home uniquely painful, as it provides a taste of what normal life could look like, before immediately ripping it away. A's struggle in these chapters further illustrates the change in A's mentality after meeting Rhiannon, setting up the conflict that A will struggle with for the rest of the novel: is it possible for A to stay in a place for more than one day, and if so, what lengths will they go to in order to do this?
