When the World Tips Over

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes references to mental illness, substance use and addiction, sexual assault, death, violence and child abuse.

Music becomes a symbolic link between Theo, Clive, and Wynton, ultimately serving as a way to repair their relationships and heal the sense of betrayal brought on by Bernadette’s relationship with Clive. Theo’s trumpet is described as a part of him; he’s carrying it when he first comes to Bernadette’s parents’ pastry shop, and he seems to carry it everywhere. When Theo sleepwalks, he plays the trumpet in his sleep, as though giving voice through his music to the feelings he can’t otherwise express. The importance of music to Theo is reflected in the names he gives his children: Wynton, Miles, and Dizzy are named after jazz trumpeters Wynton Marsalis, Miles Davis, and Dizzy Gillespie. Wynton’s childhood habit of needing Theo’s trumpet to fall asleep reflects his attachment to this man he regards as his father, and Theo understands this, to the extent that he leaves his trumpet tucked into bed beside Wynton the night he leaves Paradise Springs. Theo’s talent and affection for the trumpet define him, and the admiration others have for his music reflects the charisma that Theo exudes.