Review Of The Autobiography Of Malcolm X

Essay, Research Paper

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

by Malcolm X and Alex Haley

The book The Autobiography of Malcolm X was not only a depiction of the life for Malcolm X but it also provided and look at the issues present during his life. Many of the problems that faced Malcolm X also faced many African Americans of his time. A large part of the book showed and described the hardships faced by Malcolm X and other members of minorities like him. This book also showed the struggle of civil rights and the tremendous changes of the time. I can think of no other person who changed, or rather was changed, more by the civil rights movement.

Early in the book the tough problems facing Malcolm X, his family, and African Americans as a whole were readily shown. It was also shown that prejudice and racism were not exclusive to the South but were rather a nation wide epidemic. Malcolm X, originally Malcolm Little, was born May 19, 1925, in Omaha Nebraska. His father, Earl Little, a Baptist Minister who preached that all African Americans should go back to Africa for their own good, was constantly threatened with violence from the Ku Klux Klan. Fearful for his family, he moved to Lansing Michigan hoping that the racism would be less severe in the North. This was not the case. It was there in the North where Earl Little was killed by white racists who tied him to the railroad tracks and claimed that it was suicide.

The next thing the book shows us are the limitations placed on African Americans at the time. “Malcolm was not a product of the segregated south. His experience was Northern.” (”Atlantic”, 150) It was here in Northern schools where Malcolm X faced prejudice. Malcolm X had intentions on becoming a lawyer until the eighth grade when a teacher told him “You’ve got to be realistic about being a nigger.” (”Newsweek”, 133) His dreams being crushed, he dropped out of school and went looking for a job. The only trouble was that nobody was willing to give a job to a black kid with an eighth grade education.

Trying to find a way to survive Malcolm X moved in with his half sister Ella in Boston and became a shoeshine boy. Now in addition to facing racism, Malcolm X also had to deal with “the burdens of the urban life.” (”Atlantic”, 151) Realizing that he could not make a living as a shoeshine boy he turned to the only option he saw available to him, namely crime. The African American community got a bad name at the time because so many black kids who were faced with the same limitations as Malcolm X followed the same path to crime in order to survive. Malcolm X started his life of crime by selling drugs.

Another common view of the times was that in order to succeed you must be white. This thought was so strong that even many people in the African American community believed it. Understanding that he could not be white, Malcolm X did the next closest thing; he tried to look white. Not only did he die and straighten his hair and dress like white men but he also dated white women.

There was at least one issue not related to race addressed in this book; namely the evils of urban life. Many people, both black and white, saw the enormous amount of money to be made illegally in the large and growing cities and could not help jumping for it. Seeing this possibility for enormous wealth Malcolm X moved to Harlem, New York and became a thief, a pimp, and a drug dealer. It was in Harlem where he became an official hustler and got the new name “Detroit Red.”

Another message, possibly the most important message in the book, is that people need something to believe in. Most often people imbue this belief in their religion. Religion, especially at this time, was a very strong influence in peoples’ lives, as it would be for Malcolm X. Religion gave people both hope and focus. Soon after moving to Boston and continuing his life of crime he was arrested for robbery and sentenced to seven years in prison. It was in prison were he first turned to religion. Malcolm X was introduced to the Nation of Islam. The Nation of Islam was a religion that believed that white men were evil and white society was set up to suppress African Americans. Having been given hope of freedom from white society Malcolm X turned his life around. Now focused on changing both himself and society, he read the encyclopedia, studied continuously, and followed the codes of the Nation of Islam strictly. It was in prison where he took on the name Malcolm X, wishing to rid himself of his slave name Little.

After his parole he became even more involved with the Nation of Islam. He set up a number of mosques where the beliefs of the Nation of Islam could be preached. Through the leadership of Malcolm X the number of “Muslims grew from 400 to 40,000.” (Nelson, 337) It was during this time that he became a public figure and a leader in the eyes of many African Americans looking for an end to racism. Because he was such a good speaker he soon became a larger public figure than even Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam.

This brings up another theme in the book, the desire for power and recognition. This battle for power eventually weakened the Nation of Islam. Although Malcolm X was effectively spreading the word of the Nation of Islam Elijah felt spiteful towards him for the popularity he had gained. It was these jealousies that prompted Elij