I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou Book Analysis

Maya Angelou was a world-changing, powerful, and brilliant woman who went through ups and downs throughout her life. In I Know Why A Caged Bird Sings, a memoir by Angelou, Maya is confronted with numerous obstacles and problems. Maya traveled throughout the U.S. and Mexico facing problems after problems. Abuse, teen pregnancy, and a reintroduction to parents - were among the conflicts Maya encountered that allowed her to grow and become an impactful woman.

In addition to Angelou becoming a world-changing woman, Maya is confronted with issues. One of these being abused and sexually assaulted at a young age. Maya is harassed by her mom's boyfriend and doesn't understand what he is doing to her. Maya was misused twice, and the first time she didn’t understand much, but by the second time she understood what was going on was wrong, very wrong, "Then there was the pain. A breaking and entering when even the senses are torn apart. The act of rape on and eight-year-old body is a matter of the needle giving because the camel can’t" (78). Maya, realizing the wrongdoing of Mr. Freeman’s actions, now needs to say something. Again, Maya, at 8 years old, doesn’t fully understand the situation and how awful it is. To her, she is in pain. "‘We was just playing before... then he dragged me closer to him... ‘If you scream I’m gonna kill you. And if you tell, I’m gonna kill Bailey.’ I could tell he meant what he said." (78) She now picks up on the fact that this is horrible and what’s going on needs to stop right now. Her mom finds out soon after when she finds Maya’s bed bloody and she takes her to the hospital. They put the puzzle pieces together and find out Mr. Freeman assaulted Maya and what we believe to be Maya’s mom's brothers killed Mr. Freeman before Mr. Freemans' trial. Since Maya is assaulted at such a young age she realized nothing could get much worse and she learned how to deal with horrible troubles and problems and led her to develop her character and personality.

Maya, who has been living with her grandmother for what she knows to be her whole life, meets her parents again who change her everyday life in Arkansas. Maya’s dad impacted her life in many ways, whether it was being stabbed by Dolores (his girlfriend) or learning to drive in Mexico; Maya became a grown woman throughout the book due to her father. "His bigness shocked me. His shoulders were so wide I thought he'd have trouble getting in the door."(54) The size of her father symbolizes the drastic change in her life that happens soonly. Things consisting of being stabbed by his girlfriend or learning to drive in Mexico when he was drunk were among the drastic changes that were soon to happen. Maya, recently reintroduced to her dad, is now driving to St. Louis to see her mom. "My Mother’s beauty literally assailed me."(60) When she met her mother again, she was starstruck by her beauty, symbolizing the happiness she wanted to have. Maya's mom is so beautiful that Maya became depressed because she didn’t look like her mom. Her mother's beauty was the only noticeable trait Maya saw at first, and this changed her because she wanted to look more like her mom to impress boys, which in the long run got her pregnant. 

Maya, now in an awkward teenage stage with her own body and with her new attraction to boys, is faced with one of the most difficult problems any teenage girl may face. Soon after creating a plan to "seduce" her neighbor, the plan was in action. "Three weeks later, having thought little of the strange and strangely empty night, I found myself pregnant." (283) Maya, with unexpected news, now realizes she is about to be faced with more challenges that will lead her to grow and become a capable mother. Maya, recently given birth, hasn't understood the full role of handling a child and doesn’t know a child's needs. Maya is nervous about the fact that she has a newborn child and the baby doesn’t have a father, therefore, making her worried. "‘Maya wake up. But don’t move.’ I knew immediately that the awakening had to do with the baby... Under the tent of the blanket, which was poled by my elbow and forearm, the baby slept touching my side." (289) Maya is now experiencing what it meant to be a mother and is warmed. At this heartfelt moment, Maya knew that everything was going to be okay and that she had grown to be a capable woman and mother and wasn't a child anymore.

Rape, adolescent pregnancy, and a reestablished relationship with her parents led Maya to grow and develop through many difficulties. These experiences, such as being assaulted, helped her overcome challenges in the future, just as getting pregnant at a young age did. These numerous experiences and events were all caused by her new relationship with her mom and dad. Maya became a hardworking, overachieving, and self-determined human being throughout her life due to these experiences.