The Missing Piece

Some excerpts from the illustration for the children's book "The Missing Piece" by Shel Silverstein. Black marker and watercolours. The original version is about an unhappy circle that searches for its missing piece, and as it rolls it sings a song: “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”. Instead, this version has a squirrel which looks for the perfect nut. Moreover, the story has a deep message: it makes us reflect on the nature of happiness. We often feel that finding our “missing piece” will make us happy. However, after we find it, new desires and problems arise. This becomes a never ending search for an illusory missing piece which finally leads to unhappiness. Indeed, according to the book, we will find real satisfaction only rejecting the idea that there is one certain thing that will make us happy.

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