The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Essay Example

The book entitled The Autobiography of Malcolm X is the life story of Malcolm Little (also known as Malcolm X) told in first person. Although this book is written in first person from the perspective of Malcolm X, the work was written by journalist Alex Haley. Haley conducted many interviews with Malcolm X on the autobiographical project. Haley ran through every chapter of the book with Malcolm X as Malcolm X approved all of the content. The book was then published in 1965 and is generally accepted as a credible autobiography of Malcolm X.

The opening chapters are mostly about the early life of Malcolm X. This was around the time that the Klu Klux Klan or (KKK) begun to emerge in Nebraska, where Malcolm was born. The apex of Klan activity in Nebraska came in the mid-1920s. By then the Klan numbered tens of thousands, drawn from nearly every social class. In the year 1925 as the book states, a women’s branch was enacted, and they were soon singing, engaging in lectures by national spokes women, as well as joining the men in marching parades. Thousands of white children were mobilized, boys joining the Junior Klan, girls the Tri-K clubs. Their influence in both Omaha and Nebraska was pervasive, some white churches even acquiescing when the Klan disrupted their services. This was a disturbing part of the book to me because I knew that the KKK were a hate group, and I personally am against hate groups. I do think that the KKK helped to influence Malcolm X to eventually become the activist he was known for.

That same year, 1925, the KKK’s annual state convention was staged to coincide with the Nebraska State Fair, both held in Lincoln. Crosses were burned while a KKK parade with floats mustered fifteen hundred marchers and a public picnic drew twenty-five thou-sand followers. It was during this time of adversity that, on May 19 of 1925, at the Omaha’s University Medical Center, Louise Little gave birth to her the child who would eventually grow up to be Malcolm X.

The mid-chapters of the book are mostly about Malcolm X’s prime time as an activist. My reflection on this part of the book was mostly satisfying as it covers the development of Malcolm X from his late childhood. Chapter six of the book goes into a significant part of Malcolm X’s life that started what was known as the “Detroit Red”. In late 1942, Malcolm returned home to Lansing, Michigan and had the satisfactory effect of shocking his family. Attending a neighborhood hop at Lincoln High School, he showed off his dance steps before admiring crowds, a true celebrity. Without a hint of embarrassment, he even signed autographs for admiring teenagers with the bold signature “Harlem Red.” Malcolm’s autobiography implies that his trip home was brief—Harlem, after all, had become the center of his new life—but he actually stayed in Lansing for at least two months. His evenings were spent pursuing a number of different women. During the day he was scrambling to find money—for himself and his family, which had continued to struggle financially in his absence. For a few weeks he worked at Shaw’s jewelry store, then at nearby Flint’s A/C spark plug company. But his return home was also about receiving family validation and support. While still being just a teenage boy, Malcolm X relied mostly on the love from his siblings. He did not exactly expect them to realize Harlem’s culture in jazz or his unique suit costumes, but he did want them to realize that he had actually become a success. I really enjoyed reading these chapters because I had prior knowledge of the “Detroit Red” before reading this book. It was very nice to refresh my memory on the topic and how it was such a significant part of Malcolm X’s life.

He finally returned to Harlem in late February 1943. Once again he was hired by the New Haven Railroad, only to be fired seventeen days later for insubordination. Malcolm had written in this autobiography that he had really discontinued looking for jobs after 1942 and had adversely engaged himself to violent crime. Before reading about this, I did not really know Malcolm X’s history of violent crime. It was actually surprising to me yet interesting to read about a part of his life that I did not yet know about.

He dated his employment at Small’s Paradise from sometime in mid-1942 in the autobiography, just after he had turned seventeen, until early 1943. His work at Small’s Paradise actually started in late March of 1943 and was ended less than a couple of months later, when he asked an under-cover military detective posing as a Small’s patron “if he wanted a woman”—prompting arrest for solicitation, and another firing. From 1942 through 1944, he worked irregularly at a much less convenient job, that was at Jimmy’s Chicken Shack, a late-night Harlem hot spot for black artists and entertainers. Even washing dishes, he was in esteemed company: Char-lie Parker had done the same in the thirties when Art Tatum held court at the piano. Clarence Atkins, Malcolm’s close friend at that time, recalled that Malcolm was “flunking for Jimmy, doing anything, like washing dishes, mopping floors, or whatever, because he could eat, and Jimmy had a place upstairs, over the place where he could sleep.” One of his fellow employees was a black dishwasher, John Elroy Sanford, who had aspirations to be a professional comedian. Both Malcolm and Sanford had red hair, and to distinguish the two Sanford was called “Chicago Red,” referring to his original hometown. I really enjoyed reading about Malcolm X’s life as a blue collar worker. My reflection on this part of the autobiography was that the work ethics really contributed to the development of his character. I also think this helped him understand what hard work means and led to him becoming a leader in the world and in history.

While working at the Jimmy’s Chicken Shack, Malcolm talked a lot about Black Nationalism, and wanted to become known as “Detroit Red”.  During his time in Harlem, Malcolm was not directly involved in activities that could be described as political—rent strikes, picketing stores that refused to hire Negroes, registering black voters, and so forth. Yet to his credit, even at this stage in his life he was an extraordinary observer of people. Longtime Harlem residents had schooled Detroit Red about the neighborhood’s racial demography, an urban transformation that he later characterized as the “immigrant musical chairs game.” His own telling of that shift captured both the directness and the broad strokes of his style. New York’s earliest black neighborhoods, he explained, had been confined in lower Manhattan. My reflections on this part of Malcolm X’s autobiography are that I really got a glimpse of how Malcolm X progressively began to engage in the fight for African-American rights. It was an emotional part of the book for me actually.

Malcolm’s elder brother Wilfred and his wife, Ruth, lived in the quiet, suburban black neighborhood of Inkster, just outside Detroit, at 4336 Williams Street. In his autobiography, Malcolm recounted the morning routine that Wilfred supervised. Malcolm would recite a kind of ritual before washing first his right hand, and then his left. After his family had showered, completing “the whole body’s purification,” it was ready for morning prayers. Part of this ritual was similar to practices of orthodox Islam; however, like many of the NOI’s (Nation of Islam) methods, it also had special elements. After reading this part of the book, I started to see the religious side in depth of Malcolm X. I have a mixed reflection of this part. Although this is not the same as my religious beliefs, I do find it interesting to read about because I think it was a big part of Malcolm X’s life.

I read in the autobiography that Malcolm started working at a department store on the conditions of his parole. It was actually his first work experience of the outside world since his conversion, and the experience had a major effect on Malcolm. This was the first time Malcolm had given an unfavorable generalization about the Jewish people. Established in 1932, downtown Detroit’s Temple No. I was the Nation of Islam’s oldest, but after twenty years it still had barely one hundred formal members. The minister, Lemuel (Anderson) Hassan, like all NOI clergy, had been selected personally by Elijah Muhammad, to whom he was required to report each week. Despite its modest size, the temple possessed an active religious and social life. “The men were quietly, tastefully dressed,” Malcolm recalled. Seating arrangements were by gender, men to the right, women to the left. Unlike in an orthodox Muslim masjid (mosque), which had no furniture, members sat upright in chairs throughout all services, which largely consisted of lectures about Elijah’s teachings. It didn’t take a long time for Malcolm to question why, after twenty years of existence, the Temple of NOI’s membership was so small, and he was even more surprised to find out that Hassan along with other senior members of the clergy were not compelled to proselytize. Malcolm voiced his frustration to his family, but Wilfred advised patience. I can see when reading this part of the book that Malcolm X’s leadership really started to spark. I really think that this was the prime of his development in leadership.

That August Malcolm asked for permission from his parole officer if he could go to Chicago to visit Elijah Muhammad, saying that he would also be accompanied with three of his brothers. After gaining approval, Malcolm participated in the NOI’s Auto-mobile Caravan, comprising of ten cars to make the trip. After arriving in Chicago’s sprawling South Side, Malcolm waited impatiently at the temple for the formal program to start. Finally Allah’s Messenger entered, surrounded by Fruit of Islam guards in dark suits, white shirts, and bow ties. In a soft voice, Muhammad—wearing a gold-embroidered fez—reminded his audience about the personal sacrifices he had made for over two decades. African Americans were truly the Original People, he said, unjustly stolen to North America. I can reflect from this part of the autobiography that Malcolm X started to explore the foundations of his cultures which he found interesting and I think most people should take after this, including myself.

Later in the autobiography, Haley goes into Malcolm X’s life as a minister in chapter thirteen. The Massachusetts Parole Board certified Malcolm’s discharge from parole on May 4, 1953; Michigan’s discharge followed shortly thereafter. Malcolm X, the name which he was now known by in the Nation of Islam, was free to travel throughout the United States. One day that same month, during a work shift, he was pulled from the production line by his work supervisor. Waiting to see him was an FBI field agent, who ordered Malcolm to accompany him to his supervisor’s office. Once there, he was asked why he had not registered for the Korean War draft. Malcolm was aware that Elijah Muhammad had encouraged the evasion of the draft during World War II, but instead of citing the Messenger’s example, he told the agent that he was just released from prison and thought that former prisoners were prohibited from registering. They allowed him to leave, and just a few days later he registered at the local Selective Service office, claiming conscientious objector status. According to FBI records, he wrote that his country of citizenship was Asia. He also asserted that his “mental attitude and outlook in general regarding war and religion” merited “disqualification from military service.” My reflections from this part of the book helped me to understand how strongly Malcolm X felt about his beliefs in war and religion, and that he was willing to stand up for it.

On May 25 he was given a physical exam for the draft and failed: the subject “had asocial personality with trends of paranoia.” Later that summer, Malcolm became the Detroit Temple number one’s assistant minister. He was already commuting regularly between Detroit and Chicago, where he was preparing for the ministry, much of his tutelage being directly under the supervision of Elijah Muhammad. Malcolm recalled fondly that he was treated as if he were one of Muhamad’s sons. In June, Malcolm quit his job at Gar Wood and began working full-time for the Nation of Islam.

Technically, NOI clergy were not employees; the income they received from temple offerings was deemed an informal contribution for voluntary services. Throughout the remainder of that year, Malcolm continued to steer scores of fresh converts into Detroit’s temple. He also gained confidence in his ability to speak in public, lecturing on a range of topics. In late 1953, Elijah Muhammad thought that his protégé should be advocated up to the rank of minister and be assigned with establishing a temple where the Nation of Islam consisted of few followers. Boston had become the logical choice: Malcolm had lived there for several years and had numerous relatives and old friends in the city. One NOI member who lived in the city, Lloyd X, agreed to house him and invite small groups to his home to hear the young minister. Years later, Malcolm could recall the appeal he delivered to one such gathering in early January 1954. What he could not have known was that within his audience was an FBI informant. The fact that the Boston field office of the FBI thought it was not right to perform surveillance even of tiny NOI gatherings even in their homes shows how potentially dangerous the sect was. My reflections on this part of the book can say that Malcolm X really started to practice his leadership skills in a real life situation. I found it interesting to read.

In the closing chapters, the autobiography goes into the later years of Malcolm X, with his visit to Mecca and his meeting with Martin Luther King Jr. Over the years, as his fidelity to the core NOI dogma had waned, he had grown more interested in orthodox Islam. In his role as national minister, he had responded to letters written by orthodox Muslims which were direct attacks on the Nation on their core religious beliefs, and the steady drumbeat of scorn had not failed to challenge his assumptions about Islam and increase his curiosity. Now, without an organized group to characterize him, he understood that the system of orthodox Islam could make for a new framework. It was at this point that Malcolm X saw his opportunity to fulfill the goal that he had since making his pilgrimage to Mecca. I really can reflect on this part of Malcolm X’s autobiography because I have had similar experiences in my own life. Of course they were only on a personal level and not nearly as significant as what Malcolm X had experienced, but this part of the autobiography reminded me of similar experiences of being defined by a group in my own life.

Before his suspension the previous year, he had been back in contact with Dr. Mahmoud Shawarbi, the Muslim professor he’d met in October 1960 at a NOI event. Shawarbi was crucial to Malcolm’s development in other ways. Persistently, but without confrontation, he challenged Malcolm to rethink his racially based worldview, admitting that many orthodox Muslims also fell short of the color-blind ideals they professed. He finally convinced Malcolm that the Qur’an, as conceived in the recitations of the Prophet Muhammad, was racially impartial, meaning that white people, through their loyalty to Allah, would become spiritual siblings to black people. By the time of his recruitment trip to Boston, Malcolm had made his decision to undertake the pilgrimage to Mecca. The chance for spiritual purification at this juncture of great change and uncertainty seemed too important to pass up. I have a positive reflection on this part of the book because I can agree that people with a common interest, whether it be religion, politics, or something else, can become brothers and sisters to each other on a spiritual or emotional level.

Then in March of 1964, Malcolm X briefly met with Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington DC. This was one of the most significant moments at the time and in history as it would be the first and only time the two would meet. Malcolm X was “assassinated” a year later on February 21, 1965. Because this is an autobiography written in the first person perspective of Malcolm X, it ends with the final chapter which is entitled “1965”. Ironically, Malcolm X predicted in this chapter of the autobiography that he would soon be assassinated and would not live to see the publication of this book. My reflections of this part of Malcolm X’s story are the deepest in interest and emotion. I really admire both Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X and it was interesting to read about their meeting, although I had known about it before. I was also mind blown when reading that Malcolm X had predicted his own death just before it happened. I can have deep reflections of these chapters.

Overall, Haley did a good job at portraying the first person views of Malcolm X’s life through his various interviews and time spent with the man. This is a very detailed book on the life of Malcolm X and is strongly recommended for anybody interested in the history relating to Malcolm X.