Chapters 5,6,7, & 8

Notes

In these chapters, the reader gets a vivid description of the life in Harlem, its history, and the ugly side of the rich and influential white section of American society. Sophia is a classic example of this white society-which seeks blacks for pleasure in private and shuns them in public.

The chapters also describe the conditions that pushed black youth toward drug addiction, robbery, and pimping. It further reveals the fact that the author is extremely honest and brave enough to reveal to the readers the ugly past, he lived. But it also shows a direction to all black youth that they can come out of the muck and 'brain washing' to lead a respected life as Malcolm X did.

The chapters where Malcolm is constantly shifting jobs before he actually starts drug pedaling and pimping throws light on his temperament. For it is his temperament and fearlessness that always gets him into trouble. Yet he continued to speak fearlessly against anything that he thought was wrong or unjust. This is a trait, which remains with him for the rest of his life. While other blacks in his place kept quiet at the rude behavior of white passengers as it was considered a white man's privilege then to throws tantrums and curse the blacks who anyway were considered inferior to them (intellectually).

But Malcolm could never accept this right from his adolescent years. He rebelled against it in Lansing and in Mason. And he does so when he comes across it during his numerous jobs. This gets him into trouble for the nature of his job required him to be patient with his customer. However when Malcolm is unable to take it anymore he starts getting into arguments with the passengers. Consequently, he lost numerous jobs on the railroad.

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