The Great Treehouse War

As the central setting and symbol of the narrative’s primary conflict, Winnie’s treehouse is the most significant motif in the novel. It symbolizes Winnie’s self-expression and facilitates her arc toward Self-Advocacy and Standing Up for One’s Needs as she’s Navigating Parental Divorce and Complex Family Dynamics.

Physically, the treehouse is situated between both of Winnie’s parents’ houses. Like Winnie, it occupies an awkward, liminal space between the two parents, and as such, becomes representative of Winnie herself—a parallel reinforced by the descriptions of the treehouse inside, and what it means to Winnie: “When she’d first moved in, Uncle Huck had helped Winnie paint each wall different colors— turquoise blue with white polka dots, pink with wiggly green stripes—whatever she’d felt like. No matter what the weather was outside, the inside of the treehouse was always bright and cheerful” (28). Its characterization designates it as a space of self-expression for Winnie, and a kind of refuge for her, where everything is always “bright and cheerful” no matter the figurative storms she faces outside its walls.

Beyond self-expression, the treehouse also symbolizes Winnie’s autonomy. despite the fact that the treehouse exemplifies Winnie’s parents’ extreme thinking, it’s also the one space where Winnie can be herself and use her time any way she wants.