The Autobiography Of Malcom X: The Autobiography Of Malcolm X

The autobiography of Malcolm X captures the personal growth and the journey of Malcolm Little, also known as Malcolm X. Throughout his life, Malcolm’s experiences shaped him into the human rights activist that we are all familiar with today. In his early age Malcolm believed every white person was malicious, he was a criminal, and he believed that Christianity prevented the progression of African Americans- later on in life, Malcolm became a controversial human rights activist, believed that white people were “well-meaning” people, and was a devout Muslim (pg. 383).

Malcolm’s negative view of white people began at a young age; he saw his childhood home burned down by the Ku Klux Klan. He vividly recalled the sound of the of the pistol shots

He begins to live a different type of lifestyle and comes out of his shell. First Malcolm discovers the nightlife of Roxbury and he begins attending lindy hops. His partying eventually leads him to drug abuse, hustling, an interracial relationship with a white woman, and burglary. He was going down the wrong path and was ironically becoming the stereotypical black man who found himself living a life of crime. He became a shadow of his former self “he has no religion, no concept of morality, no civic responsibility, no fear--no nothing” (pg.

He realizes that he has “sunk to the very bottom of the American white man’s society” (pg. 153). In prison, he meets a man named Bimbi who inspires him to broaden his education. He also discovers the Islam religion; it was first introduced to him by his brother Philbert, and his brother described Islam as the “natural religion of the black man” (pg. 158). Malcolm’s other brother Reginald tells Malcolm to not eat any more pork, smoke any more cigarettes, or do any more drugs, all of this was supposed to help him get out of prison. Malcolm learned of The Nation of Islam and of Elijah Muhammad. The sole purpose of The Nation of Islam was to improve the lives of African Americans in the United States. This religion truly does change Malcolm 's life; he finds his knees bent in prayer when they were used to being bent only to pick locks as a burglar. It is believed that the African American race was the first indigenous race of this land and that they must take back the leadership role from the white man. This philosophy resonates throughout Malcolm’s soul, and he dedicates his time in prison schooling himself and writing letters to his family and Elijah Muhammad. The beliefs of the Nation of Islam makes Malcolm even more anti-Christian and