The Missing Piece (book)
| The Missing Piece | |
|---|---|
 Hardcover book |
|
| Author(s) | Shel Silverstein |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Children's Literature |
| Publication date | 1976 |
| Followed by | The Missing Piece Meets The Big O |
The Missing Piece is a children’s picture book by poet Shel Silverstein.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The story centers on a circular animal-like creature that is missing a wedge-shaped piece of itself. It doesn’t like this, and sets out to find its missing piece, singing:
Oh, I'm lookin' for my missin' piece
I'm lookin' for my missin' piece
Hi-dee-ho, here I go
lookin' for my missin' piece
It starts out on a grand adventure searching for the perfect piece to complete itself, while singing and enjoying the scenery. But after the circle finally finds the exact-sized wedge that fits it, it begins to realize that it can no longer do the things it used to enjoy doing, like singing or rolling slowly enough to enjoy the company of a worm or butterfly. It decides that it was happier when searching for the missing piece than actually having it. So it gently puts the piece down, and continues happily searching.
[edit] Themes/morals
This very simple story deals with the concept of true happiness, fulfillment, non-monogamy and love. As Anne Roiphe explained in The New York Times Book Review: "This fable can also be interpreted to mean that no one should try to find all the answers, no one should hope to fill all the holes in themselves, achieve total transcendental harmony or psychic order because a person without a search, loose ends, internal conflicts and external goals becomes too smooth to enjoy or know what's going on. Too much satisfaction blocks exchange with the outside."
It is a product of the 1970s when being single was more desirable than being monogamous. [needs citation]
[edit] Popular culture
- The 1998 album Komadić koji nedostaje by the Serbian pop punk band Oružjem Protivu Otmičara was named after the book. Silverstein's drawing which appeared on the cover of the book was used on the cover of the album.[1]
- On the television show Family Guy (episode: "Barely Legal"), Glenn Quagmire gives Meg Griffin the book to help her in her path through adolescence.
[edit] Sequel
A sequel was published in 1981 entitled The Missing Piece Meets The Big O, which is told from a Missing Piece's point of view.
[edit] References
- ^ Janjatović, Petar (2007). EX YU ROCK enciklopedija 1960-2006. Belgrade: self-released. p. 287.
|
||||||||||||||
 |
This article about a children's picture book is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
