Maybe being sixteen, single, and pregnant isn't everyone's idea of a happy ending, but Maya seems pretty content at the end of the novel, don't you think?
Let's take a look at how things have wrapped up for our girl. Did she
- gain self-confidence? Check.
- fight racism? Check.
- connect with her parents? Check.
- escape poverty? Check.
The last things that Maya is missing are love and adulthood, which (drumroll please) she gains with the birth of her son. Ta-da!
But even with all these loose ends tied up, the story feels a bit unfinished. Why? Because we know Maya is going to grow up to be a famous author and poet, but the novel ends decades before that ever happens.
Never fear! This is only the first (and some say best) of Angelou's six-part autobiography. If you want to follow Maya and her son to the point where she began writing Caged Bird, read on.