THEMES

Major Themes

Racism in America

A major theme of the book is that face of America which only the blacks can see every day; the ugly face of racism. And only the black Americans who experience it right from their birth, can express what it is like to be discriminated in every sphere of life, only because of one's color. In the book, Malcolm X the writer, goes into the history of the blacks, traces their origins and states that blacks should not seek to integrate into white society. By doing so, he believed that blacks would always be dependent on the whites for employment, education, etc. Instead, he believed that blacks should organize politically as well as economically so as to generate enough resources among the blacks to fulfill their employment and educational needs themselves.

Minor Themes

The Civil Rights Movement in America.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X discusses the civil rights movement at length. Malcolm did not look at the question of racial discrimination as an internal or a civil rights issue. He believed that it was a human rights issue and should be an international question. He disagreed with the methods used by prominent civil rights leaders of that time and he also believed that the blacks should not seek to integrate into white society.

MOOD

The book is a serious novel dealing with burning issues in the U.S. during the 50's and the 60's. The book does not merely record the life and experiences of Malcolm X, but is a serious indictment of a country that champions the cause of human rights all over the world, but violates the very principles of human rights in it's own back yard.

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