Chapter 33: I Am a Magpie – Summary and Analysis
⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.
Summary
In Chapter 33, Jenny Lawson compares herself to a magpie, describing her habit of collecting shiny, unremarkable objects. She focuses on buttons, a passion sparked by a photograph of mother-of-pearl buttons and her mother’s sewing. Lawson collects white, pearl, and black buttons, storing them in fishbowls and relishing their cool feel and soft clink. She acquires buttons from thrift stores, antique shops, and eBay, but her favorites come from estate sales. There she buys sewing boxes left behind by women who sewed—quilters, embroiderers, seamstresses. Sorting the buttons by color, she finds hidden treasures and traces of the previous owner’s life: aging hair, differing needle sizes, buttons from children’s clothes alongside 1970s and 1980s styles. Lawson imagines the stories behind these objects and wonders about the women who kept them. She reflects on her own collection’s future, envisioning it sold after her death. She hopes one person will dive into the buttons, hear the sound, and be transported to a forgotten memory, making Lawson part of their story. The chapter closes with Lawson affirming she is a magpie, but not alone.
Key Events
- Lawson recalls seeing a photo of a jar of mother-of-pearl buttons and beginning her button collection.
- She describes the progression from separate jars for white, pearl, and black buttons to large fishbowls.
- She purchases sewing boxes at estate sales, where the owners have left behind sewing materials and buttons.
- She sorts the buttons by color, clipping away old threads and discovering hidden items (a carved horse, a coin, a porcelain baby, an old photograph).
- Lawson reads the life of each unknown woman through the layers in the sewing box—from pastel children’s buttons to neon eighties buttons.
- She contemplates her own mortality and imagines her button collection being sold at a card table after she dies.
- She predicts that a future stranger will recognize the collection’s value and continue its story.
Character Development
In this chapter, Lawson develops her self-identity as a collector of tangible memories. She acknowledges her magpie-like nature without shame, embracing the impulse to gather “worthless” objects. Through the act of sorting buttons and imagining the lives of previous owners, Lawson positions herself as a curator of hidden histories. She also reveals a sense of continuity: she is part of a chain of women who sewed, collected, and left behind objects. The chapter shows Lawson’s hopefulness that her collection will outlive her and create new meaning for someone else, reinforcing her belief in the enduring power of small, overlooked things.
Themes, Symbols, or Motifs
- Collecting as Memory: Buttons serve as tangible anchors to Lawson’s childhood (her mother’s sewing) and to the lives of unknown women. Each button holds a memory of where and with whom it was found.
- Objects as Narratives: The sewing boxes contain a chronological story of a woman’s life, told through button styles, needle sizes, and hidden trinkets. Lawson treats these objects as primary sources of biography.
- Mortality and Legacy: The chapter confronts death directly—Lawson imagines her own collection sold after she is gone. Yet she finds comfort in the idea that the buttons will continue to be handled and remembered by others, making her part of an ongoing story.
- Sound and Touch: The “soft clink” of buttons and the feel of running hands through them are recurring sensory motifs that transport Lawson (and potentially future collectors) to other times and memories.
- Female Craft and History: The sewing box symbolizes domestic labor and creativity of women from previous generations, a tradition fading as fewer people sew. Lawson’s collecting preserves and honors that heritage.
Why This Chapter Matters
“I Am a Magpie” distills a core theme of Broken: finding beauty and connection in the overlooked fragments of everyday life. The chapter shows Lawson’s method of processing grief, time, and personal identity through material objects. It also humanizes the act of hoarding or collecting, reframing it as a way to rescue stories that would otherwise vanish. By explicitly linking her own collection to those of women she never knew, Lawson creates a bridge between generations and suggests that even a bowl of old buttons can carry profound meaning. The chapter matters because it exemplifies how Lawson turns seemingly trivial personal quirks into universal meditations on history, memory, and what we leave behind.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why does Lawson compare herself to a magpie, and what does this comparison reveal about her attitude toward collecting?
Lawson compares herself to a magpie because, like the bird, she is drawn to shiny, discarded objects. The comparison shows she sees her collecting as instinctual, not greedy or pathological. She embraces her magpie nature as a way to connect with the past and preserve forgotten stories.
2. What do the sewing boxes from estate sales reveal about the women who owned them?
The sewing boxes reveal a life cycle: the bottom layers contain children’s pastel buttons, cracked older buttons, and smaller needles, while the top layers have larger scissors, magnifying glasses, and neon eighties buttons. Through these layers, Lawson reads the progression from young motherhood to older age, hinting at visual decline and changing fashion.
3. How does Lawson imagine her own collection will be treated after her death, and why does she find this prospect comforting?
Lawson imagines her fishbowls of buttons will be sold at a card table, mostly ignored, but one person will pause, run their hands through them, and be reminded of a forgotten memory. She finds this comforting because it means her collection will continue to create meaning for others, extending her own story beyond her lifetime.