The Struggle In Malcolm X's Early Life

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Due to Malcolm X’s struggles in his early life, he dealt with an internal anger and resentment towards the white race, which lead to him rebelling and acting out. When Malcolm X was only 6 years old, criminals murdered his father and sparked an internal flame of hatred. His anger convinced him to commit various crimes such as stealing. This acted as a way to rebel against his family and the white community; he would not accept going unnoticed, nor would he accept others as they treated him as inferior. Not only did young Malcolm steal, but he also fought frequently with his family members. While his family was trying desperately to make ends meet, he emphasized that “Philbert and I didn’t contribute anything. We just fought all the time-- each other at home, then at school we would …show more content…

Malcolm and his siblings often received threats of removal from their family if their behavior did not improve, which did nothing but enraged him further to rebel. As times grew harder for Malcolm’s family emotionally, mentally, and most of all financially, the rebellious nature that shaped their home drew the attention of the government. The life insurance money was running out quickly and the foster homes attempted to bring the children into their care, instead of their mothers. Malcolm made it clear that he was not the only child putting stress on his mother considering ‘‘[a]ll of us were mischievous at some time or another, I more so than any of the rest. Philbert and I kept a battle going, and this was just one of a dozen things that kept building up the pressure on my mother” (Malcolm X 21). As the years went by, Malcolm continued down the wrong path, filled with crime and pain. Due to the racial hate that followed him, he could never be seen as an equal. The government imprisoned him multiple times for his crimes and this added to his depression. He desperately tried to change the way society looked upon him, but eventually he looked to crimes and rebellion in order to