Steady Going Up by Maya Angelou
"Steady Going Up" by Maya Angelou follows the story of Robert, a young African American man traveling from Memphis to Cincinnati amid personal and societal challenges. As he struggles to find comfort on a bus during a rainstorm, Robert is preoccupied with worry for his sister, who is ill. The narrative delves into their shared history, highlighting Robert's role as her guardian after their parents' death, his commitment to her education, and the pride he feels about her pursuing a nursing career.
Throughout the journey, Robert faces racial tensions embodied by two drunken white men who threaten him. The tension escalates when he is trapped in a restroom, leading to a confrontation where he must defend himself. The story encapsulates themes of familial loyalty, resilience in the face of adversity, and the realities of racial discrimination. Angelou's work paints a vivid portrait of the struggles faced by African Americans, offering a perspective that resonates with broader social issues while focusing on the intimate dynamics of Robert's life. This narrative encourages readers to reflect on the intersection of personal relationships and societal challenges.
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Steady Going Up by Maya Angelou
First published: 1972
Type of plot: Social realism
Time of work: The late 1950's or early 1960's
Locale: A bus traveling from Memphis, Tennessee, to Cincinnati, Ohio
Principal Characters:
Robert (Buddy) , a twenty-two-year-old African American man traveling north on a busAn elderly woman , who befriends himAbe , andSlim , two drunken white passengersThe bus driver
The Story
Robert, a young African American man, is having trouble sleeping on the bus taking him north, from Memphis, Tennessee, to Ohio, as it moves through the rain. He is tired and worries about his sister, who, he has recently learned, is ill in Cincinnati.
As he dozes, preoccupied with his concern for his sister's welfare, he recalls their history together. After his parents died when he was fifteen, he had reared his sister himself. Apprenticing at an auto repair shop trained him to become an excellent mechanic. Meanwhile he cared for his sister and supported her when she reached college age and chose to pursue a career in nursing. Robert also has a fiancé, Barbara, who has helped him see the importance of his sister's career choice and of the pride that will come to the family when Baby Sister enters the caring profession and is in a position to help those like their own parents, who died before their time.
Giving up on finding a comfortable resting position, Robert rises from his seat to move forward on the bus but stops when an elderly woman—the only other black passenger—speaks to him. Taking a maternal interest in him, the woman cautions him that two white men (later identified as Abe and Slim) who are drinking were discussing him as he slept. Following the woman's advice, Robert returns to the back of the bus rather than risk confrontation.
When the bus stops, Robert must go to the restroom, so he exits the bus, even though the drunken white men also disembark. He is in the "colored" restroom when Abe and Slim burst in and trap him. Accusing him of going north to pursue white women, they threaten him, making lewd references to his genitals. Robert acts quickly. He knees one man in the groin, seizes a bottle, and hits the other over the head with it. After disguising the blood covering the front of his shirt with a coat belonging to one of the men, he leaves the restroom and bumps into the bus driver, who is looking for his missing passengers. As Robert boards the bus, the woman waiting inside expresses her relief to see him again. The bus continues its journey to Cincinnati, leaving the secret of the missing men in the restroom.