After Momma drops off Maya and Bailey in Los Angeles to be with their mother, their mother quickly relocates them to San Francisco. Driving over what Maya describes as a “big, white highway” that would “never end”, Maya mentions that her mother was singing “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano” (Angelou, 203). After doing a little research into the song, I realized that, in many ways, this scene does a remarkable job of depicting Maya’s transition from the life she had in Stamps and the life she is about to have in San Francisco. Here’s why.
In the song “When the Swallows Come Back to Capistrano,” a man is singing about how someone (probably a lover) left him but promised to come back. He says that when this person comes back “all the mission bells will ring/the chapel choir will sing” and other sappy things about how happy he will be when this person returns. If you want to listen to this cheerful song, here’s the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUSC37bLuuU
The story of this song (a story about returning back home) is extremely fitting when Maya and Bailey are returning back to their mother after several years of being apart. Was their mother really singing this song as they were driving to San Francisco? Maybe not, but it’s a nice addition to the story.
In addition to echoing the plot of the story, the song also marks a change for Maya. Maya frequently mentions music and songs throughout her story, but this is the first song we have heard about that doesn’t have religious ties. Instead, it is a “popular song that [she’s] heard on the radio” (Angelou, 203). This reflects how Maya no longer has Momma’s spiritual guidance, but she does have her Mother’s warm affection and her carefree attitude. Will this different type of authority figure lead Maya down a different path?
Also, the fact that they are on a big, white highway is striking. Before leaving Stamps, Maya told the reader three graphic and emotional stories about racism in her town. Quite possibly, these incidents may have been why Momma decided to move Maya and Bailey out of the south. Regardless of Momma’s reasons, Maya is definitely not in a familiar, small, southern town any more. Now she’s out west in the big city, where she’s attending a white school and feels surrounded by white culture.
To tie the meaning behind this scene all together, they are on a highway – a symbol of travel, change, and new beginnings. It makes the reader hesitantly hopeful that good things are in store for Maya.
Reading Young Adult Literature 