The Autobiography Of Malcolm X Summary

During the 1960s, racial tensions grew between the African Americans and the white individuals. Renowned as the Civil Rights Movement, famous leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X (Malcolm Little) began to address the ignored racial issues in the United States. Unlike Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X was more radical and took an alternative method into relieving the nation of its racial matter. Upon Malcolm X’s death in 1965, his ideas were popularized and strengthened the Civil Rights Movement in the late 1960s.

Malcolm’s early life was described as melancholic and vivid, given from the persuasiveness and content of the text the author uses in the first few pages in The Autobiography of Malcolm X. An example of this would be: “When my mother was pregnant with me, she told me later, a party of hooded Ku Klux Klan riders galloped up to our home in Omaha, Nebraska, one night.” (pg. 1) The author also expresses what the general African American community had either witnessed or fell victim towards the uncouth actions of the Ku Klux Klan members.

As Malcolm grew up, he seemed oblivious to the ideal of a racial division between whites and African Americans. Compared to the other children in Mason Junior High, Malcolm wanted achieve a field that required dedication and time consumption. Rather

than being encouraged by his teacher, Mr. Ostrowski, Malcolm was told “... one of life’s first needs is for us to be realistic. Don’t misunderstand me, now.” (pg. 38). From there, Malcolm enters Roxbury and noticed a partition of African Americans based on social status and income. The difference that Malcolm describes was “...those Roxbury Negroes acting and living differently from any black people I’d ever dreamed of in my life. This was the snooty-black neighborhood; they called themselves the ‘Four Hundred’, and looked down with their noses at the Negroes of the black ghetto…” (pg. 42). Both of the scenarios perfectly portray the author’s usage of racial identity, one of the main central ideas, to engage with the reader in better understanding the text.
As Malcolm began to explore and delve in the society of both the ghettos and Harlem, he was appealed by how engaging the societies were and how quickly attached he became to them. In order to adapt, Malcolm: “... finally I picked out my second zoot… It all added up to seventy or eighty dollars” (pg. 61), that “Profanity had become my language. I’d even curse customers, especially servicemen; I couldn’t stand them.” (pg. 80), and his zoot suit “... showed to the best advantage if you were tall… I was really crown, but my ignorance made me think I was ‘sharp’”. (pg. 81). Because of these changes, Malcolm’s acquaintances were not able to recognize him as the author supports this claim with “... it was just about too much for Mrs. Swerlin.” (pg. 82) and “I left Lansing shocked and rocked.” (pg. 82).
Throughout the text, the author portrays systemic oppression, another central idea, to engage with the reader to help them understand the context. A primary example of the central idea would be Malcolm’s encounter with Jumpsteady. Malcolm describes Jumpsteady’s behavior as “In the ghettos the white man has built for us, he has forced us not to aspire to greater things, but to view everyday living as survival - and in that kind of community, survival is what is respected.” (pg. 93). It is later described that this behavior is issued “... because almost everyone in Harlem needed some kind of hustle to survive, and needed to stay high in some way to forget what they had to do to survive”. (pg. 94) which perfectly portrays the author’s purpose of providing the reader a visual of what African Americans were forced to do for a living under an inconsistent government.
Following suit of the erratic behavior of hustling, Malcolm was soon arrested by the police and questioned for his actions.

Malcolm’s situation is expressed by speaking in first person: “There I was, wearing my gun, and the detective talking to that Negro with his back to me. Today I believe that Allah was with me even then. I didn’t try to shoot him. And that saved my life.” and “The detectives grilled me. They didn’t beat me. They didn’t even put a finger on me. And I knew it was because I hadn’t tried to kill the detective.” (pg. 152). The excessive usage of short sentences used by the author suggests or symbolizes Malcolm’s current emotions at that

situation.
While in prison, Malcolm’s character begins to develop throughout the course of the text. The crucial transition for Malcolm was the story of Mr. Yacub, told by his sister Hilda. Emphasized as “The true knowledge…” (pg. 165), the story depicts: “... how the white man came to this planet Earth.” (pg. 165). As Malcolm was intrigued by the story, Mr. Yacub, described as one of the twenty four wise scientists before man, “... was born to create trouble, to break peace, and to kill.” (pg. 168) and how he eventually created the white man. As Malcolm was without words by the perplexing story of Mr. Yacub, he later began to share the story and began to reveal radical impression of himself.
As Malcolm began to share his ideals about Elijah Muhammad, or addressed as “Mr. Muhammad” in the Norfolk Prison Colony, the author thoroughly illustrates Malcolm’s perseverance to his prison inmates. An example of this is shown: “You have to be careful, very careful, introducing the truth to the black man who has never previously heard the truth about himself, or his own kind, and the white man.” (pg. 184) and “The black brother is so brainwashed that he may even be repelled when he hears the truth.” (pg. 185). Following Malcolm X sharing his principles at the Norfolk Prison Colony, he had partaken in weekly debate events. These events allowed Malcolm to express a profound state of himself and sought his true purpose for the African American community. This is supported with: “... to start telling the white man about himself to his face.” (pg. 187) and “... to devote the rest of my life to telling the white man about himself - or die.” (pg. 188).
In the first few years of Malcolm’s life, a series of events began to shape him to become more radical and profound toward his opinion of the racial parting between African Americans and white individuals. As one of the few Civil Rights leaders to take a stand on racial hatred, Malcolm was renowned to have his own approach in challenging the non-violent pursuit of integration addressed by Martin Luther King Jr. Only until Malcolm passed away in 1965, his ideas were later popularized in outside works such as The Autobiography of Malcolm X.