Characterization in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Characterization is a physical description of a character, the manner the character acts and the personality traits of the character. Bailey Johnson Jr. is the former(a) brother of Marguerite Ann Johnson, the protagonist of the novel, I have intercourse Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. In order for Maya to get independent, she necessitate to dispel from Bailey. Their original kind was guardianship her back. Bailey is draw in the phonograph recording as a bright, clever and light-spirited person. Maya exacts to break out from Bailey because she relies on him to fight her battles.He is excessively a beau ideal- same(p) compute to her, which is an mortified obsession. Bailey too keeps Maya from believing in herself because Maya puts too some(prenominal) faith in him. Bailey influences Maya both positively and negatively passim the novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Bailey influences Maya negatively because she depends on him to defend herself in her batt les. Maya says in the book that, Bailey was the greatest person in my tone. Bailey is genuinely the only person for Maya in her intent and she looks up to him. He is basically the bragging(a) brother of Mayas dreams.Bailey gives Maya that confidence and couragement such(prenominal) as getting back at Mayas family members and friends who tease her astir(predicate) her imperfections. In the text, Maya describes one of his actions when she explains, When our elders said unkind things about my features, Bailey would wink at me from across the room, and I knew that it was a matter of time in the scratch place he would take revenge. This is one of the primordial examples of Maya relying on Bailey too much and loose him that faith instead of herself. Since Maya is relying on her of age(p) brother to defend her, she could never effect a stronger person individually.Maya is not fit of becoming more(prenominal) independent because she is unintellectual of her birth reliance on Bailey. Bailey is described in the book by Maya as a savior in her eyes, which is an unhealthy obsession for Maya. She believes that he is a God-like figure in her eyes. This is unhealthy for Maya because she puts too much faith into Bailey and not in herself. Maya describes Bailey as a savior when she explains that, It made me desire to live a Christian life just to show God I was grateful, meaning that she wants to show God that she was thankful for a brother like Bailey.Not only does Bailey influence Maya to be herself and not to worry about the thoughts of others, alone he also influences her to be a religious person and walk the agency of rightousness. This is one of the reasons why Maya wants to live on a person like Bailey because he gets into knock over and misbehaves but yet he prays loudly in church. In the text, Angelou describes that, Bailey could count on very few punishments for his consistently outragous misbehavior. He could even pray obstreperously in chur ch and was apt at stealing pickles. This quote also explains how Maya seeks to become more like Bailey. She wishes to be more like Bailey because he is a sheer soul to her and she is desperate for that purity in her life. As Bailey and Maya both begin to bend up and mature in their own ways, Maya begins to become independent. One of the key challenges that Maya has confront that has made her independent was with soda water Bailey. Daddy Bailey became very drunk one nighttime while they were in Mexico and Maya had no survival but to drive, even though this was her runner time driving, both of them back home.This was the first time that Maya was actually in get the hang without the help of Bailey. This is key towards Maya because she begins to slowly separate from Bailey. This is important towards Maya because she begins to realize that she doesnt need Bailey as help to her. She begins to realize that she doesnt need her freehand brother as a crutch anymore. In order for Maya to become independent, she needs to separate from Bailey. Their original relationship was holding her back.By the end of the book, Maya silence looks up to Bailey for advice on her pregnancy and Bailey shut away has that influence on Maya. As Bailey continues to dumbfound up, he becomes wiser about his life and the choices he makes in them. He continues to be the big brother she has always loved. The evolution of Bailey is important because it shows the contrast of independence and maturity amid himself and Maya. The change in characterization of Bailey throughout the book influences Maya because when Maya and Bailey grow apart, Maya becomes more independent.