47 pages • 1 hour read
The Great Treehouse War
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Themes
Navigating Parental Divorce and Complex Family Dynamics
Graff establishes parental divorce and complex family dynamics as a core theme of the novel in Chapter 1, and uses hyperbole, exaggerated character behavior and heightened plot elements to convey the complex feelings that divorce can create for a child. The narrative begins the action on the day Winnie finds out about her parents’ divorce, indicating the event as a major driver of conflict and action in the novel. Winnie’s parents center their own emotions at the expense of Winnie’s, and their exaggerated behavior—needing things to be exactly equal between them—provides a visceral reflection of a child’s emotional landscape in the midst of a parental divorce.
However, the narrative focuses on Winnie’s parents’ behavior toward one another and their resulting disregard for Winnie’s feelings as the source of the conflict rather than the divorce itself, underscoring research that suggests children going through parental divorce are distressed not so much by the separation itself, but by the behavior of those involved. Winnie feels unheard in her family, and this structures conflicts in the novel. Due to her parents’ holiday, Winnie starts to fail in class, a conflict which catalyzes the other events that drive the central action of the narrative.
Graff explores the theme of navigating complex family dynamics not only from Winnie’s perspective but also from the perspective of the rest of the Treehouse Ten who rally to her cause, suggesting a universal quality to the children’s emotions and challenges. Winnie’s friends all join her in the treehouse to protest their own familial situations. The Treehouse Ten’s standoff becomes a microcosm of Winnie’s larger situation with her family when her friends split into factions with Winnie caught into the middle. The situation gives her stomach a churning sensation “a washing machine that had gone off balance” (194). Winnie ultimately finds a resolution to this strife—helping her friends to advocate for their needs in their own families—positing that navigating complex family dynamics is achieved through communication and compromise.
Winnie’s own familial conflict surrounding divorce (resolved in Chapters 17 and 18), ends when Winnie directly confronts her parents about their behavior and communicates the impact it’s had on her. Winnie resolves the conflict around feeling unheard in the relationship when her parents finally listen to her concerns. The novel ultimately suggests that an equilibrium can be achieved, even in the chaos of a divorce, if all parties are willing to find a way through it together. The illustrations before Chapter 18, like Winnie’s June calendar, suggest a changed family dynamic that reinforces the resolution of this theme.
The final lines of the novel: “Winnie found that she didn’t mind [her parents and their idiosyncrasies] too much” suggest that Winnie has found a way to navigate the complexities of her family life (272). Although it is clear that her parents still have their quirks, their final interaction in which Winnie’s mom and dad display relaxed body language around one another demonstrates their transformed dynamic. Ultimately, the novel suggests that with appropriate consideration and communication between all involved, divorce and family conflicts can be successfully navigated.
Self-Advocacy and Standing Up for One’s Needs
Through most of the novel, the primary obstacle Winnie struggles to overcome is the challenge of communicating her feelings to her parents. Chapter 1 establishes the dynamic of her relationship with her parents and characterizes the dismissiveness she feels from them. The increasingly dysfunctional relationship with her parents creates an urgent need for Winnie to speak up about her feelings. Winnie’s character arc hinges on her ability to confront her parents and vocalize her needs, informing a major thematic arc in the novel.
The very first chapter establishes the ability to be heard as a central conflict for Winnie when, following the conversation about her parents’ divorce, they begin to argue and she slips away unnoticed. This pattern continues throughout the novel—when Winnie tries to communicate her feelings, she is shut down. In Chapter 5, when she tries to tell her dad about her failing grades, he ignores her. These early scenes suggest the importance of self-advocacy. Winnie’s parents continue to be oblivious to her needs until Winnie becomes firmer about advocating for them. It is not until she’s able to address her parents’ behavior and communicate her needs directly that real change occurs in their relationship, reinforcing the thematic importance of self-advocacy.
The central external conflict in the novel represents Winnie’s first instance of true self-advocacy. Winnie’s treehouse standoff is motivated by her parents’ dismissal of her feelings when they try to take her Wednesdays away in Chapter 5. Winnie who, until that point, had been non-confrontational about the disruptions her parents’ erratic holiday celebrations cause to her life, finally stands her ground and lets them know how upset she is:
And [Winnie’s parents’ obsession with evenness], that made Winnie mad. ‘No!’ Winnie shouted. She squeezed Buttons tighter. She could tell he was mad, too. ‘That’s the problem!’ This mess had all started, Winnie realized, when her parents had begun insisting that everything be exactly even between them, all the time (116).
She enters her treehouse “and doesn’t come down for a long, long time” (109), representing her ability to stand her ground and communicate her right to consideration from her parents. Winnie’s confrontation with her parents in Chapter 7 is the first instance in which the reader sees Winnie acknowledge her anger as her own as opposed to displacing it onto Buttons, another key moment in both Winnie’s arc as a character and the development of this theme.
Winnie’s self-advocacy facilitates the climax and resolution of the novel. In Chapter 16, after her friends have all left the treehouse, Winnie turns her Artist Vision on herself and realizes she “should’ve been happy to have another regular Wednesday in her treehouse. But she wasn’t” (245). Winnie’s reflections reveal the truth that she has been ignoring in herself: She needs more from her parents, and she needs to communicate it. She finally confronts her parents in Chapter 17, repeatedly using the phrases “I want” and “I need” until they finally listen to her. Advocating for herself prompts the resolution of the narrative; Winnie’s parents apologize for their past behavior and demonstrate transformed attitudes that re-balance the family dynamic.
The narrative ultimately posits the necessity of advocating for oneself when navigating difficult situations such as divorce or other complex family dynamics. The “June” calendar that precedes the final chapter demonstrates the transformed communication Winnie has with her parents. The final lines of the novel: “Winnie found that she didn’t mind [her parents and their idiosyncrasies] too much” (272) reinforces the novel’s position that being able to advocate for one’s needs improves conflict in relationships.
The Importance of Friendship and Other Bonds of Support
Winnie’s friends are a constant source of support for her. The importance of these relationships to Winnie is reinforced by the structure of the text itself: with its framing as a collective memoir, the narrative suggests the importance of the collaborative relationships between the Treehouse Ten. Throughout the novel, Winnie’s friends encourage, help, and support her, directly or indirectly pushing her toward confronting her parents.
Graff emphasizes the strength of the Treehouse Ten’s bonds through the use of humorous side sticky note commentary, as well as smaller acts of friendship between them such as Lyle waiting to check on Winnie when Mr. Benetton holds her back from lunch in Chapter 3. In Chapter 4, Winnie confides in her friends about her situation with her grades and her parents, and afterward she feels “a little better already, just from telling her friends about her problem,” reinforcing the bonds of friendship as a source of support for Winnie in the midst of strife (76).
The Treehouse Ten’s friendship provides the mechanism through which the novel’s central conflict takes place, further emphasizing its thematic importance. The support and solidarity Winnie feels with her friends empowers her to make a stand against her parents and make changes to her situation. Winnie’s friendships also directly catalyze her epiphany that allows her to resolve the situation with her parents. When her friends argue and divide into separate factions in Chapter 11, Winnie resolves the issue by reflecting on her friends’ needs and facilitating them. In doing so, Winnie identifies a way to advocate for her own needs, suggesting that friendship—defined as consideration and support—is a vital resource for navigating difficult challenges.
Uncle Huck’s support of Winnie’s battle against her parents and encouragement of her Artist Vision also helps her develop the skills she needs to confront her parents and their dysfunctional relationship. Uncle Huck’s involvement in facilitating the resolution with the Treehouse Ten suggests the importance of supportive familial bonds. The guidance Winnie receives from Uncle Huck throughout the novel helps her reach important conclusions that lead to important conflict resolution. She uses her Artist Vision to resolve the conflicts with her friends in Chapter 14, and Uncle Huck’s advice that “‘sometimes it helps to turn your Artist Vision on yourself, too” sets her up for the later self-reflection that catalyzes the narrative’s climax and resolution (212).
Similarly, Lyle’s support of Winnie in Chapter 16 helps her gain the confidence and courage to confront her parents. He thanks her for giving the Treehouse Ten “stuff we needed” (249) and points out that her friendship facilitated positive change in their lives. Lyle reciprocates, helping Winnie trick her parents into meeting her at the treehouse. Lyle’s support at this crucial juncture motivates her to finally stand up for herself, reinforcing the thematic importance of friendship as a tool that builds resilience through challenges. At the end of the novel, Winnie and the rest of the Treehouse Ten make plans to have a treehouse reunion, suggesting that these bonds will endure beyond the pages of the narrative.
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By Lisa Graff
