I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

After Maya's grandfather, Mr. Johnson, leaves Momma "around the turn of the century with two small sons to raise" (46), she married Mr. Henderson, and after their marriage ended, Mr. Murphy. Maya doesn't know much about her grandmother's ex-husbands because Momma "never answered questions directly put to her on any subject except religion" (46). Maya recalls meeting Mr. Murphy when he came to Stamps one Saturday night. The following Sunday, Uncle Willie missed the church service for the first time in Maya's memory because he had to stay at the Store "to keep Mr. Murphy from stealing [them] blind" (46).

While Maya sees in her grandmother only "power and strength" (46), people of Stamps remember how in her youth Mrs. Henderson was "right pretty" (46). Every Sunday, the minister asks Momma to lead hymns during the church service, and as soon as she opened her mouth, "the song jumped out as if it had only been waiting for the right time to make an appearance" (47). When it comes to interactions with the white population of the town, Momma strives to teach Maya and Bailey the tactics of avoidance and nonconfrontation. Mrs. Henderson doesn't tolerate insolence and insists on talking about white people with respect.