Summary:
In this section of the book we learn that Malcolm has stuck with his friend Shorty. He brought him into the shoe shinning business and was teaching him the swing of things. After this job, Malcolm got a job as a kitchen boy on a train. After some time working as kitchen boy he was given the job of sandwich man. It is safe to say that at this point he was doing well on his own in Massachusetts. During this time he realized that what he wanted the most was to bring value to his life. When he reached Harlem, New York, he realized he was not going to get the respect he wanted from black community. In Harlem he became a hustler, selling marijuana, gambling and running the numbers for big-time mobsters. He got away with this for a while but eventually he ended up in the ancient Charlestown State Prison. While in prison he received letters from a man named Elija Muhammad. The letters he received from Elija were life altering and, in jail, Malcolm joined the Nation of Islam.
Quote:
"You are not the criminal. The criminals are the whites who, through their racism, have forced you into the acts you have committed" (Myers, 68)
This quote shocked me because what Elija Muhammad just said to young Malcolm is very deep. I believe that what he just said is true to some extent because the whites were literally leaving the blacks with no options. This, in turn, does lead to crimes.
Reaction:
I thought that this section, or part, of Malcolm's life was really important because it would be the begging of his long journey in the world of Islam. What he experienced in this time period was what influenced him to speak out against the oppression of the blacks.
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