A Study Of The Identity Construction In I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings From The Perspective Of Black Feminism

Maya Angelou, as one of the most famous contemporary American black women writers, is keenly concerned about the living predicament and identity crisis of American black women under the interlocking oppression of racism, sexism and classism. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is the first and the best autobiography among seven-volume series which receives widespread critical acclaim and brings her international recognition. This autobiography reveals to us how Marguerite goes out the shadow of identity crisis and finally becomes a confident American black woman with strong sense of racial pride. From the perspective of black feminism, this thesis tries to explore how the heroine Marguerite rebels against the white hegemonic culture and traditional patriarchal control and constructs her identity as an American black woman.Firstly this thesis discusses about Marguerite’s identity crisis as an American black woman under the male-dominated power and white-dominated culture. Marguerite internalizes the white’s values and heterosexism inherent in patriarchal thinking. Besides, she becomes the sex object of men and is deprived of her female discourse power. All these lead to her identity crisis as an American black woman. And then this thesis analyzes the heroine Marguerite’s racial identity construction as a black. Influenced by her mother, grandmother and black community, Marguerite’s racial consciousness begins to awake and she builds a strong sense of racial pride. What’s more, she breaks the white’s religious control and roots in black cultural heritage. At last, this thesis argues about heroine Marguerite’s gender identity construction as a woman. By constructing black woman discourse power, seeking fulfillment in work and breaking the sexual bondage imposed on women by patriarchal society, she finally constructs her gender identity as a woman.From the perspective of black feminism to explore the work, this thesis reveals to us how the heroine Marguerite goes out her identity crisis and finally constructs her doubly marginalized identity as an American black woman under oppression of rampant racism and sexism. The author hopes to have a further understanding of the living predicament of American black women after analysis of this work. What’s more, the experience of the heroine Marguerite also has a guiding significance on American black women to realize themselves and pursue freedom.