Annihilation

The tower is both the geographic center of the novel and the novel’s figurative center of meaning. In a literal sense, the tower is where the Crawler writes words on the wall that provide clues to the mysteries of Area X. It is where the narrator first inhales the spores that alter her sense perceptions; it is where the anthropologist dies; within its walls the narrator confronts the Crawler and sees a mysterious door or bright light. Beyond being the setting for these events, however, the tower also acts as the symbolic heart of Area X. It seems to act in coordination with the land that surrounds it, and yet, as the narrator discovers, it is a living, breathing organism, seemingly with a kind of will of its own. Journal reports reveal the tower emitting mysterious lights; inside its walls live a diverse range of creatures and habitats. All of these details amount to a picture of the tower as a mysterious, intriguing, and possibly dangerous location. In this way, it is a reflection and microcosm of Area X itself.