Throughout the novel, it was evident that Maya explored many themes. This is one of the things that make her writing style so distinct. One of the most significant of them being, a search for self-obtainment. Because …show more content…
This theme was something that she lived everyday. In almost every part of the story, it was concluded that Maya, the main character, wanted to be something she was not - a little, blue-eyed, white girl. After researching through several sources, there was one found who emphasized this as a theme. The source "The Song of a Caged Bird: Maya Angelou 's Quest for Self-Acceptance" discusses some of the main reasons that self-acceptance is a common theme throughout the novel. For example the source says “The child lives a "black ugly dream," or rather nightmare”, this asserts the pity that the main character has for herself, which ultimately leads back to the theme of Marguerite not accepting herself as a person. The author of the source also emphasizes the theme by proposing that the main character was a “ black girl child who testifies to her imprisonment in her …show more content…
The source "Death As Metaphor of Self in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings." points out a few of examples of this. For instance, the source pointed out that the author uses literary skills in the way of symbolism. It points out the fact that dress is symbolic and represents her wish to be a beautiful white girl to match the beautiful dress that she would wear on Easter. She understood that this would not happen, making her dreams of being white, a false fabrication. The author used countless other examples of figurative language throughout the story. The source pointed out a few more of these. Another instance being her grandma’s store in the heart of Stamps. The author of the source also found that the main character thought of the store as a safe haven. For instance the author of the source suggests that she had gone through the most traumatizing time of her life, and the only way she managed to endure the tough times were to return to the store. The source also states that “nothing ever happened in Stamps” and knowing this to be a place where most people in the community came and socialized, opened many doors for Marguerite. These were not nearly all of the examples of symbolism that the author used, but merely just some that were pointed out by the author of the analytical