Vol. 6, Issue 2, Part B (2024)

The Research Paper analyses Angelou’s treatment of the subject of marriage and her relationships with her husbands. A black woman’s marital life is fraught with trials and tribulations, and Angelou is no exception to it. She is constantly searching for a home of her own where she can live a settled life with her husband and children, but, like many other black women, her desire does not find fulfillment. The present paper is an investigation into Angelou’s marital experiences and how they lead her to the path of self-discovery as a black woman and as a black mother. Being an unwed teenage mother and a committed wife, she passed through some life-changing incidents. With every experience, sweet or bitter, Angelou kept evolving and becoming stronger than ever. She moves from one marriage to another in search of stability for herself and her son but is unable to find a sense of fulfillment or meaningfulness. There is a massive gap between her fantasies related to marriage and the actual experiences that she had to go through. None of the marital relations provided her with an identity that could enable her to lead a respectable, independent, and dignified life.