Finally when the caterpillar transformed into a butterfly, it was not by a 'lift', but by the concerted effort of millions of women, who were willing to and had the courage to swim upstream through the New World, through the Revolution, through the Civil War and through the Progressive Era.

The graphical rendering of seduction and rape of Marguerite appears to be ambivalent if not ambiguous. But the objective is not just to project innocence and elicit sympathy, not to scandalize ogres, nor to play a blame game. It is to expose the subtleness of the horror, the vulnerability of woman that is a result of ignorance, the price of being intellectually unaware.

Marguerite was told, all women were told: "Keep your legs closed, and don't let nobody see your pocketbook." But such advice did not help. It would not. At best it can be a warning. It can never be a shield against exploitation and manipulation of a woman's longing for affection by ill-meaning wolves.

Advice does not have that potential. Wisdom has. In its absence, Marguerite thrust upon herself a long spell of silence. So did the women in the American society for hundreds of years.

They were silent because they were dealing with none other than their family members, who were not to be questioned. They were silenced by Freeman-kind of men who were apparently tender, gentle and harmless. The episode is a lesson why women need to be better armed. Armed with education, that is.

Marguerite is fortunate to be born into a well-to-do family. It is shown as a family that was more than comfortable even during the Great Depression. She has faced numerous problems but economic poverty was not one among them. Another important factor that favoured her prospects was that she and Bailey have got all kinds of books to read. They moved between Los Angeles, California and San Francisco.

In the new school, they were taken aback by their fellow students' ignorance. Those were privileges worthy of envy even by white children.

The book presents the journey of woman through America's many faces: Stamps, Arkansas, St. Louis, San Francisco, the turbulent times of the Great Depression, the Jim Crow customs and African-American traditions.

Mrs. Cullinan's dishes breaking by accident is a signal to the impending revolt by the deprived on the privileged. It is indicative of changing trends. The book I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings gives us an overview of American history, of women's place and the steady transformation in women's condition that is brought about by diligence and merit.