Spiritual Pilgrimage of Malcolm X & of Jane Addams

The stories told in both The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley and Twenty Years at Hull House by Jane Addams each fit the classic pattern of the spiritual pilgrimage. Each of the protagonists sets out on a spiritual journey which is simply seen as part of life, though it is a journey that not everyone takes as fully as possible. Malcolm X, for instance, might have continued down the criminal path he began on had he not had a revelation while in prison. Jane Addams's spiritual journey is more direct and lifelong, and in her case, she had to overcome a physical abnormality because of a congenital spinal defect. Both became leaders in their respective times and communities, and both suggested the importance of such institutions as education, social welfare, and religion.

The vital importance of education is emphasized again and again in The Autobiography of Malcolm X, as is the need for a better understanding of the development of a black identity in American society. Malcolm X grew up in a world where being black was a handicap. It could even lead to one's death at the hands of an angry mob, something he knew from his childhood. At the time, this implanted in his mind a subtle sense of shame at his blackness, something he could not have articulated but which influenced his development as a human being and his choices as a young man. He tried to be as white as he could both culturally and physically, a choice which led him into criminal activity that only empha

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Category: Psychology - S