WOMEN QUESTION INTERSECTIONALITY: EXPLORING INTERSECTIONALITY IN I KNOW WHY THE CAGED BIRD SINGS BY MAYA ANGELOU AND THE BLUEST EYE BY TONI MORRISON

Abstract

Abstract

The study focuses on the aspect of intersectionality in the novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison With these two novels, the experiences that the African American women go through and the roles of race, gender and class in constructing them are brought out. This paper aims to scrutinize how both Angelou and Morrison use their literary voice to convey experiences and perseverance of their first female main characters Marguerite and Pecola in a prejudiced world. The paper focuses on the important aspects of the postcolonial performance of each author and their approaches to address the complexities of the issue based on the binaries that construct and work on the representation of the characters as multidimensional based on intersectionality. Thus, by framing analysis within the contexts of Black female characters’ experiences, the paper establishes the role of storytelling in the oppression of people of color and, more broadly, the manner in which the representation of minorities is a form of their subjugation. In this sense, this study also plays a part in having a better understanding and recognising the significance of Angelou’s and Morrison’s work to the present day discussions on intersectionality to the consideration of identity and justice.