Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) Character Analysis in The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Later known as Muhammad Ali, Cassius is a heavyweight boxer. A charismatic, good-looking, and sharp young man, he becomes a good friend of Malcolm’s, and he takes him in during his suspension from the Nation of Islam. This generosity touches Malcolm, but when Cassius eventually turns his back on him, the abandonment hurts all the more.

Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) Character Timeline in The Autobiography of Malcolm X

The timeline below shows where the character Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali) appears in The Autobiography of Malcolm X. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Under great psychological stress, Malcolm reaches out to his friend Cassius Clay, who invites him and his whole family to come stay with him in Miami... (full context)

Malcolm meets Cassius in 1962, when he comes into the Muslim restaurant in Detroit before Elijah is about... (full context)

Cassius’s infectious and genuine personality really touches Malcolm, and he invites him to his home to... (full context)

...sudden estrangement from the Nation to suddenly being asked for a divorce. Malcolm goes around Cassius’s training camp, talking with people and with the press, but he’s mostly not paying attention.... (full context)

Malcolm briefly returns with his family to New York, but he wants to support Cassius in his fight, especially as Cassius is now a Muslim. So he flies back to... (full context)

...wealthier black individuals who move to white neighborhoods and try to integrate into their communities. Cassius, on the other hand, loves to take evening walks through the black neighborhoods, a trait... (full context)

The night of the fight comes, and Malcolm and Cassius stand at the back of the Convention Hall, watching Cassius’s younger brother in his first... (full context)

...to plan.” From his point of view, this was essentially an intellectual fight, in which Cassius knew that Liston would get tired quickly, and then he would have the advantage. (full context)

That night, Cassius and a few friends come over to Malcolm’s motel. There, they simply talk while Cassius... (full context)

The next morning at breakfast, Cassius tells the press in simple terms that he is a follower of Islam. A media... (full context)

...to talk with Malcolm, and Malcolm begins to teach him English. When Malcolm says “ Muhammad Ali Clay ,” the whole room perks up, as they believe he is Muhammad Ali. Malcolm soon... (full context)

As Malcolm prepares to leave Ghana, he runs into Cassius Clay, who has been in the country for a few days. As Cassius is still... (full context)

Shortly thereafter, Malcolm and Sister Betty fly to Florida to be with Cassius as he trains. This helps to take his mind off his present worries. Malcolm calls... (full context)

Alex soon conducts an interview with Cassius for Playboy magazine, and Cassius says that he doesn’t want to discuss Malcolm, who has... (full context)

...he’s built up the Nation from 400 followers to 40,000. When Alex tells him about Cassius’s comments about wanting to stay away from Malcolm, Malcolm becomes visibly hurt and emotional. (full context)