Booker's Seven Basic Plots Analysis - Analysis, The Autobiography Of Malcolm X | The Autobiography of Malcolm X -Summary, Themes & Characters - Novels PDF Download

Plot Type : Rags to Riches

Initial Wretchedness At Home And The Call

Malcolm's home life is a nightmare. White racists kill his father. His mother's sanity is destroyed by government officials and their attempts to break up his family. Oh, and he's starving and poor. But there is a light. His half-sister Ella lives in Boston, and Malcolm thinks that might just be the way out of his situation

Out Into The World

When Malcolm moves to Boston he becomes a hustler and has friends and money for the first time in his life. He even has a white girlfriend. Everything seems like it is going to be great, but this period of prosperity comes to a screeching halt when Malcolm gets thrown into jail for burglary.

But wait, Malcolm overcomes even this obstacle by joining the Nation of Islam and dedicating his life to its cause. He's finally putting his intellect to good use and doing something that will benefit his fellow man. What could go wrong?

The Central Crisis

Everything. Everything goes wrong. Malcolm believes in the leader Muhammad more than he believes in anything else in the entire world, but when it is revealed that Elijah is a hypocritical adulterer he just can't deal. Then when he learns that Mr. Muhammad is jealous of him, things get even worse. The crushing blow is Malcolm's expulsion from the Nation of Islam, which almost makes him lose his mind. This is his darkest hour.

Independence And Final Ordeal

Malcolm emerges from the crisis over his expulsion from the Nation of Islam as a new man. He develops new ideas, starts his own independent organization, and seems even closer to his goal than he was before. While the Nation of Islam was holding him back, he's now free to do what he needs to do. Normally this stage in the rags to riches story comes right before the protagonist fights the final boss. Okay, more like the rags to riches video game. You catch our drift, though.

Final Union, Completion, And Fulfillment

Normally this stage in a rags to riches story includes the hero beating the boss, getting the girl or guy, acquiring vast riches, and generally basking in their own awesomeness. This never happens in Malcolm's story, though. We guess we should call it a rags to... rags story? Racism still exists. His Pan-African dream is never fulfilled. And Malcolm was killed shortly after he finishes dictating this book. So yeah, no happily ever after here.