Analysis of Major Characters
Malcolm is the only major character in the autobiography. Though
many characters play a role in the development of Malcolm's beliefs
and career, the autobiography does not explore these characters
in depth. This lack of attention to other characters is not surprising,
as an autobiography always focuses primarily on one person. Malcolm,
however, changes frequently during his lifetime. The various names
by which he goes—Malcolm Little, Detroit Red, Satan, Malcolm X,
and El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz—correspond to the various phases of
his life.
Malcolm as Malcolm Little
Malcolm Little passively endures the experiences that
motivate his later obsession with racial politics in America. He
encounters open racism when whites murder his father and subtle
racism when white welfare agents institutionalize his mother. Though
Malcolm endures this racism quietly, it leads to his later development
of anti–white views. He ambitiously attempts to integrate himself
into his predominantly white junior high school, but his white teachers'
and classmates' racism thwarts his development. Attempting to flee
the racist Midwest, Malcolm moves to Boston but finds racist dynamics exaggerated
in the large coastal cities. These early frustrations at the hands
of a society unwilling to accept his efforts to fit in build a separatist
fervor in Malcolm.
Malcolm as Detroit Red
The lifestyle of Detroit Red, the name Malcolm adopts
as a hustler, illuminates the moral decay plaguing the ghetto. Fresh
from Michigan, young Malcolm Little quickly adopts zoot suits, slang,
drugs, and gambling, showing how easy it is to be seduced by fast-paced nightlife.
Earning the nickname “Detroit Red” for his bright red hair, he learns
to conduct business and ruthlessly fend for himself, laying the
ground for his later argument that living in the ghetto encourages
deceit and destruction. Detroit Red has few ethical restraints but
many social insights. His philosophy requires that he trust no one,
know his enemy well, and carefully defend his public image. Detroit
Red represents the fact that many black people struggle just to
survive.
Malcolm as Satan
In prison, after earning the nickname “Satan” for his
foul temper and preference for solitary confinement, Malcolm starts
educating himself and turns his outlook around. His transformation
begins when he gives himself up peacefully to a Boston detective,
letting five years of street hustling catch up with him. This episode
demonstrates the ideal of submission to moral authority, which Malcolm later
embraces in a Muslim context to justify his willing subordination
to Elijah Muhammad, the leader of the Nation of Islam. His embracing
of Islam transforms him from a hustler interested in earning money
any way he can into a responsible individual interested in educating
and enriching himself. Malcolm's time in prison thus represents
the transition between his early years of suffering and deceit and
his later years of faith and activism.
Malcolm as Malcolm X
As Minister Malcolm X, Malcolm develops confidence and
credibility as a religious leader and media personality. Malcolm
carefully shapes the identity and significance of this persona.
As he rises in the ranks of the Nation of Islam to take over from
the ailing Elijah Muhammad, the press pays close attention to his
philosophies, allowing him to disseminate his message widely. Although
his public statements do not initially depart from the Nation of
Islam's party line, Malcolm eventually begins to broaden his message
to address white America. As the shock-value media personality Malcolm
X, he calls for a more active approach to domestic racial politics,
and his influence in American society shows the effectiveness with
which he has shaped his persona. After a trip to Africa, Malcolm
X counsels blacks to align themselves with the nonwhite majority
internationally, illustrating his general tendency to let the wisdom
he gains from his experiences influence his attitudes.
Malcolm as El-Hajj Malik
El-Shabazz
When Malcolm leaves the Nation of Islam, he adopts the
name El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz and begins arguing for worldwide racial
tolerance. Though Malcolm, as El-Shabazz, claims that his rapid
turnaround to racial tolerance in Mecca is due to the “colorblindness” of
the Muslim societies of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, the events in the autobiography
foreshadow Malcolm's change of heart. Even as Malcolm X, Malcolm
begins to question the extremist message of the Nation of Islam.
Malcolm's decision to take the title El-Hajj after making the pilgrimage
to Mecca (a religious duty called “hajj” in
Arabic) symbolizes his faith in international Islam. Additionally, his
calls for white groups to work for racial justice and his attempts
to integrate the struggles of black Americans with the struggles
of oppressed nonwhite peoples everywhere reveal how his perspective
on race relations has matured. Whereas Malcolm's earlier political
activism, such as his militant advocacy of black separatism, is
marked by hostility, his later activism seeks to create racial harmony.
