Understanding Inequality Through Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Novel Summary

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, a groundbreaking work in black women’s writing, is an autobiography describing the childhood and youth of American author Maya Angelou. It is the first volume of Angelou’s six-volume autobiography. The book was nominated for a National Book Award in 1970 and was made into a film in 1979 (Angelou, 1997). The work is a cry from the soul of a black woman.

The memoir is set in 1931, when three-year-old Maya Johnson arrives in Stamps, Arkansas, with her four-year-old brother Bailey. Their parents, who had recently split, had sent the siblings to live with their grandmother, Mother Henderson, in a tiny southern town. Mom has a business in Stamps’s black section, which she operates with the assistance of her disabled son, Uncle Willie.

Maya develops two toothaches one day, so her mother sends her to a white dentist, even though the black doctor is 25 miles away (Angelou, 1997). In her narrative, the lady explains that her mother borrowed money from the white dentist, Lincoln, multiple times, and that it was owing to her that he could save his company. Upon arriving at the doctor’s office, he never once looked at Maya and told her that he did not serve black people and said he would rather stick his hand in a dog’s mouth. However, after mentioning that Maya’s mother had saved Lincoln from a problematic situation, he gave them money for a ticket to the black doctor.

Reasons Behind the Preference for the Imagined Dentist Interaction Over Reality

Thus, Maya uses this example to show how much inequality has penetrated society. The author prefers her version of the interaction of reality because it is the one that portrays the problem of inequality. Although the girl’s family helped Dr. Lincoln through difficult times, he refused to accept her because of his beliefs. Moreover, he greatly insulted the girl by comparing her to a dog.

Thus, the author wants to show that despite the kindness of heart and the desire to help and serve society, it does not change the fact that people do not consider these factors. They are only guided by their prejudices, which have been formed over the centuries. Maya tries to reach the reader with this story of a doctor willing to pay but not accept a black child.

Reference

Angelou, M. (1997). I know why the caged bird sings. Bantam.

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StudyCorgi. (2025) 'Understanding Inequality Through Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings'. 18 October.

1. StudyCorgi. "Understanding Inequality Through Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." October 18, 2025. https://studycorgi.com/understanding-inequality-through-maya-angelous-i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings/.


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StudyCorgi. "Understanding Inequality Through Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." October 18, 2025. https://studycorgi.com/understanding-inequality-through-maya-angelous-i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings/.

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StudyCorgi. 2025. "Understanding Inequality Through Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." October 18, 2025. https://studycorgi.com/understanding-inequality-through-maya-angelous-i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings/.

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