Break

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1990

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Summary

Background

Poem Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Symbols & Motifs

The Puzzle

Jigsaw puzzles are powerful symbols due to the nature of their construction: Puzzles are either fractured into individual pieces or connected to form one, bigger picture. Laux uses the jigsaw puzzle in “Break” to symbolize the private and public spheres of her life, revealing what happens when the ills of the outside world invade her home life (see: Themes “Private vs Public Sphere”).

At first, the puzzle comes together easily as “one curved / notch fits so sweetly with another” piece (Lines 2-3). Laux describes how “we,” she and her husband, sit and rest, enjoying the reprieve this activity offers (Line 1). However, as Laux’s focus shifts instead to her young daughter circling the room, her anxieties start to invade the poem, represented by the puzzle breaking apart (Lines 18-20). As Laux begins to worry about her daughter growing up, fostering an awareness of the horrors of the outside world, the task at hand no longer grounds her, but rather, becomes tedious, another requirement of adulthood (see: Literary Devices “Diction”).

The Sky

The image of the sky represents Laux’s shifting emotions throughout the poem. From the onset of “Break,” every puzzle piece “fits so sweetly” together, creating a natural scene that is completed with the addition of “two blue arms” that “fill in the last of the sky” (Lines 3, 5-6). The ease associated with constructing the puzzle paired with the serene blue color of the sky creates a relaxed tone. However, as Laux’s tone shifts (see: Poem Analysis), becoming increasingly anxious as she talks about her daughter, the sky is described as “falling,” the world “crumbling” (Lines 19, 18). The image of the sky breaks down in the same way that Laux’s composure does, symbolizing the emotional peaks and valleys that come with growing older and watching a child slowly gain the same adult awareness of the harsh world from which they have otherwise been shielded.

Nature

The recurring natural images and seasonal language found within “Break” symbolize the constant growth and changes that occur from childhood into adulthood. The motif of nature reinforces the themes of childhood innocence and its subsequent loss by comparing the natural progression of the seasons to growing older. Laux writes that the puzzle comes together as “we patch together porch swings and autumn / trees, matching gold to gold” (Lines 7-8). Autumn traditionally symbolizes maturity. During this season, plants are ready for harvest, a process that is associated with abundance and prosperity. Laux describes the “we,” her and her husband, in relation to autumn, representing their adulthood, maturity, and place in life in comparison to her daughter.

Laux’s child, on the other hand, is described as “circl[ing] her room, impatient / with her blossoming” (Lines 11-12). The diction choice of “blossoming” evokes springtime, when flowers begin to burst from the Earth and bloom (Line 12). If autumn is established maturity, spring represents new life and childhood in the context of Laux’s poem. The child’s impatience exposes the growing pains and discomfort that comes with growing up. The motif of nature makes readers aware of the natural cycle of life and death: growing up, growing older, and fostering an awareness about the progression of the self.