Reginald Little Character Analysis in The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Reginald is Malcolm’s younger brother who comes to live with him in Harlem. While he admires Malcolm, he also is unafraid to live his life in ways that diverge from Malcolm. Reginald leads Malcolm to the Nation of Islam, but is later isolated from both the Nation and his family for having an extramarital affair.

Reginald Little Quotes in The Autobiography of Malcolm X

The The Autobiography of Malcolm X quotes below are all either spoken by Reginald Little or refer to Reginald Little. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

Eventually my mother suffered a complete breakdown, and the court orders were finally signed. They took her to the State Mental Hospital at Kalamazoo.

It was seventy-some miles from Lansing, about an hour and a half on the bus. A Judge McClellan in Lansing had authority over me and all of my brothers and sisters. We were "state children," court wards; he had the full say-so over us. A white man in charge of a black man's children! Nothing but legal, modern slavery—however kindly intentioned.

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Page Number and Citation: 21

Explanation and Analysis:

I was going through the hardest thing, also the greatest thing, for any human being to do; to accept that which is already within you, and around you.

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Page Number and Citation: 167

Explanation and Analysis:

Let me tell you something: from then until I left that prison, in every free moment I had, if I was not reading in the library, I was reading on my bunk. You couldn't have gotten me out of books with a wedge. Between Mr. Muhammad's teachings, my correspondence, my visitors—usually Ella and Reginald—and my reading of books, months passed without my even thinking about being imprisoned. In fact, up to then, I never had been so truly free in my life.

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Page Number and Citation: 176

Explanation and Analysis:

Reginald Little Character Timeline in The Autobiography of Malcolm X

The timeline below shows where the character Reginald Little appears in The Autobiography of Malcolm X. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...His older siblings Wilfred, Hilda, and Philbert were born in Philadelphia, while his younger brother Reginald was born in Milwaukee. Earl had three children from a previous marriage as well: Ella,... (full context)

...younger kids. Philbert and Malcolm, meanwhile, fight each other and anyone else they meet, with Reginald tagging along. Louise tries to find work as a housemaid, and she finds several positions... (full context)

...reputation is completely destroyed within the black community, but worst of all, his adoring brother Reginald simply doesn’t mention the fight at all. After training hard and going for a rematch... (full context)

...in Lansing nearly every weekend. Hilda and Wilfred still live in the old house, while Reginald and the others are with various families in Lansing. Malcolm likes to give the younger... (full context)

One day after Malcolm comes back from a trip, Reginald is waiting for him at Sammy’s apartment. They get a room at the St. Nicholas... (full context)

Reginald fills Malcolm in on the family. Wilfred is an instructor at a trade school, and... (full context)

Reginald comes back on his ship one day, and this time, he decides to stay. He... (full context)

Wanting to provide Reginald with a stable home, Malcolm starts to rent an apartment for $100 a month. At... (full context)

Malcolm gets Reginald a hustle that will make him money but be risk-free—he gets him a license to... (full context)

Malcolm assumes that Reginald, like most black men at the time, will be interested in white women, but that... (full context)

Reginald comes to visit in Roxbury, after having returned to Harlem and discovering all the mess... (full context)

...to him about a new religion he’s found, the “natural religion for the black man.” Reginald sends him a separate letter, telling him that if he stops smoking cigarettes and doesn’t... (full context)

...seen his nasty reply to Philbert, his siblings (all new converts) have decided to send Reginald to talk with Malcolm. Reginald comes to see Malcolm, looking very well-groomed and discussing the... (full context)

Allah, Reginald says, came to America and revealed himself to a man named Elijah. But there was... (full context)

After Reginald leaves, Malcolm thinks through every white person he’s ever known: the state welfare people, the... (full context)

To test Reginald’s statement about Masons, Malcolm approaches a Mason in the prison. He draws him a circle... (full context)

Reginald comes to visit again, and he finds a very attentive Malcolm waiting for him. Reginald... (full context)

...Muhammad, who is described as a wise, gentle man—and a black man just like Malcolm. Reginald also explains that as a sign of submission to Allah, Muslims do not eat pork,... (full context)

When Reginald comes to visit Malcolm, Malcolm tries to share some of his studying and learning with... (full context)

...same sins. But at the time, his letter sways Malcolm, and Malcolm no longer lets Reginald influence him in any way. (full context)

Reginald continues to visit him, but Malcolm pays little heed to his conversation. Reginald’s appearance grows... (full context)

Reginald later begins to hallucinate and then say strange things, like how he is the Prophet,... (full context)

Malcolm remembers how he had rejected his brother Reginald because he had been “isolated” from the Muslim community for a sexual affair. He had... (full context)

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Reginald Little Character Analysis

Reginald Little Quotes in The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Reginald Little Character Timeline in The Autobiography of Malcolm X

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