I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
(Maya Angelou)
Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou is the protagonist as the story is autobiographical. She is a girl of three years when the story begins and sixteen years at the end. Her childhood is riddled with racism, sexual abuse, abandonment, and identity confusion.
Maya has a hard time feeling as though she belongs in any one place because she is moved around so much though she finally feels content in San Francisco. The single most important person in Maya’s life is her brother, Bailey, though she eventually begins to form relationships with her parents, as well. She is extremely perceptive and intelligent beyond her years.
Bailey Johnson Jr.
Bailey is Maya’s older brother by one year. He is a good looking boy who develops a rather sarcastic personality in his adolescence. He is the most important person in Maya’s life, and they share a very close bond. Bailey is extremely intelligent, like Maya, but, unlike Maya, he removes himself from the racist situations and does not allow them to anger him. He has an unyielding compassion for his sister and protects her from situations in which people disrespect her whenever possible. Bailey moves out on his own as a teenager though he and Maya remain close.
Vivian Baxter
Vivian is Maya’s and Bailey’s mother who abandons them when they are three and four years, respectively. Vivian is spontaneous, powerful, strong, loving, and breathtakingly beautiful. Vivian is a trained and certified nurse, but she makes her living running gambling operations, which can sometimes cause her to be an inattentive mother. Despite the fact that Vivian abandoned the children and can be inattentive at times, she is respectful, loving, far, and compassionate as a mother when they reconcile.
Momma (Annie Henderson)
Momma is Maya’s and Bailey’s paternal grandmother and the woman who raises them for a good portion of their young lives. Momma is a religious woman who works hard to instill morals, values, a sense of respect, and class within the children. She is a very strong and powerful woman, as she owns the only store in town and serves as a greatly positive influence in Maya’s life. Momma only sends the kids to live with their mother when she fears that Stamps is becoming too violent for them.
Big Bailey
Big Bailey is the father to Maya and Bailey and the son of Momma. When Maya first meets Big Bailey as a young girl she is amazed that he is her father because he is tall, drives a car, and speaks like a white man. He has a lively and likeable personality, but it becomes obvious that he is arrogant and selfish, as well. Despite the fact that Big Bailey makes an attempt to form a relationship with Maya, he does not seem to have any respect for her and treats her with the same arrogance he treats everyone else.
Daddy Clidell
Daddy Clidell is Vivian’s husband and the first stable father figure in Maya’s life. She appreciates Daddy Clidell because he is even-tempered, kind, tender, strong, and modest despite his successes. Daddy Clidell becomes proof for Maya that, despite their lack of good education, black people can make something of their lives. Daddy Clidell enjoys his role as Maya’s father and treats her as such, even in the presence of his friends who tell her stories about their various cons against white men.
Mr. Freeman
Mr. Freeman is the fat, older man whom Vivian lives with in St. Louis. As soon as Maya meets him she feels sorry for him because it is obvious that Vivian is too good for him and he spends most of his time waiting around for her to get home. Mr. Freeman molests and rapes Maya though she does not understand that it is wrong at first. After Maya testifies against Mr. Freeman, he is beaten to death, and she carries unnecessary guilt about his death with her for years.
Willie Johnson
Willie is the uncle of Maya and Bailey, the son of Momma, and the brother of Big Bailey. He was injured as a child, which caused him to be physically disabled for the rest of his life, and he suffers much discrimination and ridicule because of it. Maya finds that he sometimes hides his disability from people because he does not want their false pity or sympathy. Willie is very religious, just like Momma and acts as a protector and disciplinarian to Maya and Bailey.
Mrs. Bertha Flowers
Mrs. Flowers is a rare black Aristocrat that lives in Stamps whom Maya enjoys spending time with. To Maya, Mrs. Flowers is glamorous just like the characters in the books she reads though Momma is not too fond of her. Mrs. Flowers makes it her mission to bring Maya out of her silence in the wake of the rape by having her read poetry and literature aloud. Maya idolizes Mrs. Flowers and appreciates the love of literature that they share and the cookies that Mrs. Flowers bakes for her and Bailey.
Mrs. Viola Cullinan
Mrs. Cullinan is the white women whom Maya works for when she is ten years old. Mrs. Cullinan calls Maya “Margaret” rather than her real name “Marguerite” and her snobby friends encourage her to call Maya “Mary” because they believe it is easier.
Mrs. Cullinan begins referring to Maya as “Mary” which infuriates her and causes her to plan a scheme that will get her fired, as Momma would be upset if she quit. Bailey tells Maya to smash some of Mrs. Cullinan’s china and so she does which results in the loss of her job and the embarrassment of Mrs. Cullinan in front of her friends.
Mr. Edward Donleavy
Mr. Donleavy is the white man who gives a speech at Maya’s eighth grade graduation. Despite his seemingly good intentions, he manages to insult the entire black population by remarking how many athletes have come from their school and making no mention of their academics. His speech has racist undertones and implies that the black community has no chance of success in the working world, due to their lack of intelligence, and instead should concentrate on athletics because that is where their only chance of success lies.
Henry Reed
Henry is the valedictorian of Maya’s class. He gives a speech right after Mr. Donleavy so everyone, especially Maya, is still upset when he begins. As he talks about hope for the future, Maya is upset because she feels like there is none but soon he restores her faith because he leads the class in singing “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”, the black national anthem.
Maya feels instantly proud of her heritage once again and has a newfound respect for her people and her opportunities in life. Henry Reed also sparks for Maya an interest in passionate black speakers.
Dolores Stockland
Dolores is the live-in girlfriend of Big Bailey whom Maya exchanges letters with before she visits. Maya is surprised to find how prim and proper Dolores is, especially consider she and Big Bailey live in a trailer.
Dolores and Maya instantly butt heads over Maya’s messiness and Dolores’ insecurity and jealousy over the time Maya spends with Big Bailey. When Maya and Big Bailey return from Mexico she apologizes to Dolores for coming between she and Big Bailey, not meaning to, and in return Dolores stabs Maya with a pair of scissors.
Joyce
Joyce is a local girl who is developed beyond her age that Bailey falls in love with. Bailey had set up a tent in the backyard where he would bring girls and have Maya keep watch, and that is where he lost his virginity to Joyce.
Bailey would steal things from the store for Joyce, but she soon disappeared. Momma finds out from Joyce’s aunt that she has run away with a railroad porter, and Bailey is devastated. Maya disliked Joyce before but dislikes her even more for hurting Bailey.
Dr. Lincoln
Dr. Lincoln is the dentist in town who only accepts white patients. When Maya has a terrible toothache, Momma brings her to see Dr. Lincoln because the black dentist is so far away, sure that Dr. Lincoln will see her because Momma once gave him a loan when he was in a pinch.
Dr. Lincoln refuses to see Maya and says he would rather stick his hand in a dog’s mouth. He believes he owes Momma nothing because he repaid his debt, though out of anger she demands that he pay her $10 interest for the $100 he borrowed, despite the fact that they had no interest agreement previously.