Historical Context of The Color Purple, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, and The AwakeningIn a stereotypical society, the reader expects that the protagonist of a novel be a strong, heroic man who saves the day and gets the girl back. However, in the classic works “The Awakening” (Kate Chopin), “The Color Purple” (Alice Walker) and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” (Maya Angelou), a different type of protagonist is depicted. In these novels, the protagonist is a heroine who grows throughout the novel to become a strong and independent woman. The heroines all seek to overcome a series of obstacles in the search for their identity. Even though the female characters have different individual quests, they all prove themselves and gain confidence in male society. The novels all portray women as similar characters throughout the course of each literary work. It begins with a female protagonist who is, at first, desperate and has no power to act. Not all the characters can act because they are children who can't defend themselves. In the case of Celie from “The Color Purple” and Maya Angelou from “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” they are raped and beaten by father figures. They are not strong enough, mentally and physically, to be able to withstand an attack from someone they thought they could trust. This destroys their self-confidence and hinders their growth as an individual. In the case of Edna Pontellier, it is society that hinders her growth because it disapproves of women who are not submissive to their husbands. In each novel, a close companion... in the middle of a paper... I never got used to it. (Walker 11) “The Awakening,” “The Color Purple,” and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” are considered American classics. Both describe men and women, their roles in society and the way in which their gender can influence their choices. The women tackle two classic themes of novels: overcoming obstacles and the search for individuality. Unfortunately, the men in these novels tend to be among the obstacles the protagonists face.1) Walker, Alice. The color purple. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990.2) Chopin, Kate. Awakening. New York: Random House Publishing Group, 2000.3) Angelou, Maya. I know why the caged bird sings. New York: Random House, 2000.