Historical notes on the Color Purple, I know why the caged bird sings and The AwakeningIn a stereotyped society, the reader expects the protagonist of a novel to be a male strong and heroic who saves the day and wins the girl. 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 portrayed. In these novels, the protagonist is a heroine who grows into a strong, independent woman over the course of the novel. The heroines all try to overcome a series of obstacles in the search for their own identity. Even though the female characters have different individual missions, they all prove themselves and gain confidence in the male society. All novels portray women as similar characters throughout each literary work. It begins with a female protagonist who is initially hopeless and has no agency. All the characters cannot act because they are children who cannot 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 repel an attack from someone they thought they could trust. This destroys their self-esteem and hinders their growth as an individual. In the case of Edna Pontellier, it is society that stunts her growth because it disapproves of women who are not submissive to their husbands. In every novel an intimate companion... in the middle of the paper... that I never get used to." (Walker 11) "The Awakening", "The Color Purple" and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" are considered American classics. Each portrays males and females, their roles in society and how their gender can influence their choices. Women deal with two classic themes in novels: overcoming obstacles and the search for individuality these novels tend to be some of the obstacles that the protagonists face.1) Walker, Alice. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1990.3) The Awakening. Angelou, Maya. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. New York: Random House, 2000.