In the scene of the furniture tower, Mootoo uses the tower as a metaphor to show the way that Miss Ramchadin and Tyler can act in the room, versus who they are confined to act like outside of the room. At night, the room is the only place where they can both feel the freedom to express themselves in whatever manner they please. The tower continues to get higher the more they build on it, which reflects their growing comfortability and the increase in self-expression. The tower being deconstructed is representative of them losing this sense of identity that they create at night, and the fact that they must “knock down their towers” so they can fit the mold of what they are “supposed” to be. But they have the whole night to be at the top of their towers and behind the closed door, they can build their towers as high as they want.
The tower seems like just a fun little activity, but it is so much more. Besides the fact that the reconstruction and deconstruction of the tower represent Tyler and Miss Ramchandin’s behaviors, for Miss Ramchandin it also represents an aspect of control in her life, something she has not had for a long time. Additionally, she has not had the support of someone such as Tyler in what appears to be a while. The first night of the tower, Tyler “wanted to take all the furniture in her room and help her build the biggest and tallest tower she needed.” (Mootoo 77-78) What catches my attention is the word “needed”. Building a tower out of furniture does not seem to be traditionally necessary, but Tyler sees past Miss Ramchandin’s illogicality and knows that her intentions are just to give herself a little control. Her entire life she was completely robbed of control and Tyler permitting this small act gives her a firmer grasp on a little bit of control.
The re and deconstruction of the furniture tower is representative of Tyler and Miss Ramchandin’s ability to express themselves in all physical, emotional, and mental ways.
Your analysis of the furniture tower is really interesting! I think you could also expand this analysis by discussing the origin of the tower itself, since the first time we see Mala building such a thing is right after she has finally gotten rid of her father. She builds the tower as a protection to keep herself safe, but I think it was also a way for her to take control of her life. Once her father is gone, she is finally free to live however she wants. I think it would be interesting to analyze how the construction of the tower is a representation of how Mala begins to reconstruct her life, since she is using normal things that have always existed around her (furniture) to create something new and unique.
I really liked connecting the furniture tower to their expressions of identity. I also talked about Mala and her sense of control, but I spoke about her use of language. I think they connect because Mala heavily controls who she reveals herself too and she only talks to Tyler, as well as him being a part of the towers. He understands her in a way that previous people in her life have not and she knows that she can express herself in front of him.