Kintsukuroi Pottery

Kintsukuroi Pottery is a Japanese art form in which one repairs broken pottery by filling in the cracks with gold, silver, or platinum. This highlights the breaks in the original piece and turns them not only into something beautiful but also something entirely new that would not have been created without the break in the first place. Kintsukuroi Pottery symbolizes the essence of the book's title: that there is beauty in breaking and in brokenness. These pots symbolize an understanding of the mutability of life and are believed to be more beautiful because of their imperfections. This represents Michelle's belief that, in life, even greater beauty can be found after something is repaired and reborn.

A Cocoon

A cocoon is where a caterpillar goes to engage in the process of deconstruction and rebirth that will allow it to become a butterfly. These cocoons become symbolic to...