Chapter 9 - Summary, The Autobiography Of Malcolm X | The Autobiography of Malcolm X -Summary, Themes & Characters - Novels PDF Download

Caught

• Back in Boston, everyone is amazed by how vulgar Malcolm has become. He curses up a storm and is constantly either sleeping or doing drugs.
• Malcolm still sees Sophia, even though she and her husband are fighting. She gives him money, and he takes it gladly. He also abuses her, but he says that she wants it. We're not too sure about that.
• Sophia is the best part about Malcolm being home for Shorty. He's obsessed with white women. And lucky him, Sophia has a little sister who just happens to be obsessed with black men. They are all over each other.
• Meanwhile, Malcolm meets Laura again. She's not doing so well, and hustles just like Malcolm. They hang out and smoke marijuana.
• After about a month, Malcolm is tired of laying low and looks for new job. This time it's gambling. He gambles so well that he impresses John Hughes, the biggest gambler in town. After this, Malcolm really has a reputation.
• Looking back on this time, Malcolm realizes that he was really crazy. He took drugs the way most people eat, and carried guns with him everywhere. Yeah, that's not exactly normal.
• Even though Malcolm had won all those thousands of dollars, he was still broke because of his drug habit. So he starts thinking about a new job, one that he can do with Shorty. And he has an idea. They should be burglars! Shorty agrees but he asks to include his friend Rudy, whose current job is sprinkling old white men with talcum powder until they orgasm. Don't ask.
• It turns out that Rudy was a great member of the team because he knew where all the white people lived. Malcolm also asks Sophia and her sister to join them, because they will be less suspicious walking around in white neighborhoods during the daytime than a couple of black men. It's a perfect plan.
• There's just one more thing. Malcolm gets a gun, puts a bullet in the cylinder, and points it at his head. He plays Russian roulette with the gun, telling everyone how ready he is to die. We're not totally sure what this was supposed to prove, but it totally freaks everyone out. Okay, now they're ready.
• The burglary team pulls their first job that night and it goes off without a hitch. From then on, their careers as burglars goes great. They are an efficient and clean team, and they get lots of loot. So far so good.
• But back to the drugs. They are the center of Malcolm's life, and he can't function without them. It gets so bad that he can even think properly. So one day when Malcolm is high on cocaine he sees Sophia on the dance floor with a white man. The guy is probably her husband, but Malcolm goes up to them and calls her baby anyway. Yeah, not a good idea.
• You know what's also not a good idea? Trying to repair a stolen watch. When Malcolm tries to repair one of the watchers he got during a burglary, police arrest him. But this actually turns out to be a lucky break for Malcolm because if he hadn't been arrested, Sophia's husband would have killed him when he returned to his apartment.
• Rudy is smart enough to get out of town, but Shorty and Malcolm are put into prison. Looking back, Malcolm is amazed by how terrible and stupid he was.