Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory - Analysis, The Autobiography Of Malcolm X | The Autobiography of Malcolm X -Summary, Themes & Characters - Novels PDF Download

Status Symbols

The way that Malcolm X talks about fashion in his youth, you would almost guess that he was on Project Runway. As soon as he gets to the big city, Malcolm doesn't waste any time getting into the fashion scene. He says:

Like hundreds of thousands of country-bred Negroes who had come to the Northern black ghetto before me, and have come since, I'd also acquired all the other fashionable ghetto adornments—the zoot suits and conk that I have described, liquor, cigarettes, then reefers—all to erase my embarrassing background. (4.3)

Why does he bother with the zoot suits and other stuff? To fit in.

Have you ever heard of conspicuous consumption? It's spending money on luxury goods (a.k.a. stuff you don't need) in order to increase your social status. In other words, it's buying the newest iPad so that everyone will think you're cool. And that's exactly what Malcolm X is doing when he buys his zoot suit, drugs, and alcohol. And he's not alone.

There are tons of other young men and women who are trying to seem cooler by doing the same things he did. Malcolm X writes:

These ghetto teen-agers see the hell caught by their parents struggling to get somewhere, or see that they have given up struggling in the prejudiced, intolerant white man's world. The ghetto teenagers make up their own minds they would rather be like the hustlers whom they see dressed "sharp" and flashing money and displaying no respect for anybody or anything. So the ghetto youth become attracted to the hustler worlds of dope, thievery, prostitution, and general crime and immorality. (16.153)

Since these kids see no hope for gaining any kind of social status in dominant society, they look to the ghetto world for respect and to improve their self-esteems.

But you probably also noticed that Malcolm X forgot all about that stuff when he joined the Nation of Islam. He didn't need a suit or drugs to feel important. The Nation of Islam taught him that all black people are inherently better than white people. But even after he realized that statement wasn't exactly true, Malcolm X retained his sense of self-worth. Who needs a zoot suit when you've got that?

Conk

Nowadays we call this hair straightening process getting a relaxer, but back in Malcolm's day he got a conk. There is only one time in his life when Malcolm's hair is chemically straightened on a regular basis, and that's when he's a hustler. Before that, he was just a country bumpkin. So it's not until he becomes integrated into Boston's city culture that he actually straightens his hair.

We could go on and on telling you about the symbolism behind the conk, but Malcolm has already explained it for us. He says:

This was my first really big step toward self-degradation: when I endured all of that pain, literally burning my flesh to have it look like a white man's hair. I had joined that multitude of Negro men and women in America who are brainwashed into believing that the black people are "inferior"—and white people "superior"—that they will even violate and mutilate their God-created bodies to try to look "pretty" by white standards. (3.91)

Now, you might wonder why Malcolm is making such a big deal about someone changing their hairstyle. The thing is, this hair straightening process is not as simple as blow drying or dying your hair. It uses chemicals that actually destroy the structure of the hair in order to make it lay straight. The same chemicals that destroy the hair can also destroy the skin on your scalp. Actually the chemical, sodium hydroxide, is so destructive that it can dissolve an entire soda can. So imagine what it can do to your body. When you understand this, the phrase "mutilation" doesn't seem to be an exaggeration anymore.

While there are currently many discussions and arguments about the politics of black people straightening their hair, one popular explanation of why the process is—and has been—done is to look more like white people. This explanation makes perfect sense when we consider the pedestal white women stand on in terms of beauty standards. When black people participate in hair straightening practices, then, the implication is that in order to be beautiful they must resemble white people. Whew! That's a lot of meaning to put into a hairstyle.

Malcolm finally gets rid of his conk when he becomes a member of the Nation of Islam. Here's what he says about that:

Few temple meetings were held, for instance, without the minister looking down upon some freshly shaved bald domes of new Muslim brothers in the audience. They had just banished from their lives forever that phony, lye-conked, metallic-looking hair, or "the process," as some call it these days. It grieves me that I don't care where you go, you see this symbol of ignorance and self-hate on so many Negroes' heads. I know it's bound to hurt the feelings of some of my good conked non-Muslim friends—but if you study closely any conked or "processed" Negro, you usually find he is an ignorant Negro. Whatever "show" or "front" he affects, his hair lye-cooked to be "white-looking" fairly shouts to everyone who looks at his head, "I'm ashamed to be a Negro." He will discover, just as I did, that he will be much-improved mentally whenever he discovers enough black self-pride to have that mess clipped off, and then wear the natural hair that God gives black men to wear. (14.144)

Malcolm and other new members of the Nation of Islam cut off their chemically processed hair as a symbol of the change in their mentality. The Nation of Islam believed that African Americans were the superior people, so for them there was no need to change their bodies to look like another race.

It's no wonder that the "Black is Beautiful" movement started around the same time as Malcolm's activism.

Wristwatch, Suitcase, Eyeglasses

When Malcolm gets out of jail, the first thing he does is purchase three things: eyeglasses, a watch, and a suitcase. Even though these may seem like three unimportant items, they have a ton of symbolic value.

Did you notice that these are the only worldly possessions that Malcolm talks about after his conversion to the Nation of Islam? Before that, he was always getting some new car or new suit or something like that. But now these are the only three things he keeps in his life. This alone should tell you that they're pretty important.

Eyeglasses

Malcolm gets his eyeglasses before he leaves prison, but since he buys new ones they still get to count. He tells us how he got them:

I had come to prison with 20/20 vision. But when I got sent back to Charlestown, I had read so much by the lights-out glow in my room at the Norfolk Prison Colony that I had astigmatism and the first pair of the eyeglasses that I have worn ever since. (11.115)

So for Malcolm his astigmatism is inseparable from the time that he spent in prison educating himself. Not only that, but just as he will always have astigmatism, Malcolm also we always have his new passion for learning.

Watch

Why do people need watches? Because they have some place to be and something to do. Before he reformed his life, Malcolm never had any reason to own a watch. He had no place to be, nothing to do, no grand aspirations for his life. But after prison, Malcolm has a passion for the Nation of Islam. Now that he has a purpose, he has to use his time efficiently. He says:

And you won't find anybody more time-conscious than I am. I live by my watch, keeping appointments. Even when I'm using my car, I drive by my watch, not my speedometer. Time is more important to me than distance.(12.6)

For a person who really wants to get something done, every second counts.

Suitcase

There aren't a lot of people in the world who need to have two suitcases packed at all times so that they can travel at a moment's notice. Malcolm X certainly didn't need to be ready to go at a moment's notice when he was growing up. But after he joins the Nation of Islam, life kicks into high gear. He says: “I travel so much now that my wife keeps alternate suitcases packed so that, when necessary, I can just grab one" (12.6). So the suitcase is kind of like the watch.

Malcolm has never needed a suitcase in his entire life until now. We know he literally needs to be ready to travel for the Nation of Islam, but what about symbolically? Symbolically, Malcolm is ready to do anything that the Nation needs at any time Elijah Muhammad might need it. We don't think it would even be a stretch to say that he is also ready to die and has packed his metaphorical life suitcase.