All the Broken Pieces

Music provides an important source of comfort and an opportunity for Matt to express himself throughout All the Broken Pieces. As Matt’s mother says, “Maybe music will help / soothe [Matt’s] monsters” (28). Many times during the book, Matt’s mother herself sings lullabies that calm Matt and demonstrate her love for him. Late in the novel, Matt remembers that his Vietnamese mother also “sang a soft song” (151). Music provides a connection between Matt’s two mothers, and the love they both feel for him.

Matt’s American mother also encourages him to take piano lessons with a Vietnam veteran, Jeff Harding, and piano becomes a way for Matt to cope with his anxiety and trauma. Matt finds music comforting because “notes are like numbers, / never changing” (33), so he doesn’t have to worry about uncertainty while playing. While he’s at the piano, Matt feels he’s “sheltered” in a “safe place” (62) where nothing but music matters; Matt also appreciates and wishes to emulate the “calm quiet” (42) his teacher achieves while playing. Like Matt, Jeff has lived through the violence of the Vietnam War, but Jeff seems to have faced down his “closet of monsters” (42)—and Matt hopes that music will help him to do the same.