Laura Character Analysis in The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Laura is a bright high school student with a promising future ahead of her – before she meets Malcolm. As a young man, he introduces her to the nightlife in Roxbury, which he believes to be the cause of her eventual fall into drug use and prostitution. Furthermore, Malcolm passes over her in favor of Sophia.

Laura Character Timeline in The Autobiography of Malcolm X

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

A girl named Laura lives near the drugstore and comes in regularly to have a banana split. After seeing... (full context)

Malcolm enjoys talking with Laura, and he admires that she wants to go to college. Her studies remind him of... (full context)

Malcolm keeps Laura away from Shorty, and keeps Shorty away from Laura, thinking that because they come from... (full context)

The night of the dance, Malcolm brings Laura to Ella’s house so he can change into his blue zoot suit. Ella immediately falls... (full context)

Laura is filled with excitement about the lindy-hop. She and Malcolm share a taxi and then... (full context)

...face. Malcolm wonders whether Sammy, with this supposed ability, could have foreseen the hard turns Laura’s life would take. (full context)

...Malcolm and the girl dance around the floor to the great approval of the crowd. Laura, however, says very little afterward, and maintains her distance for the next week. (full context)

One day Laura comes into the drugstore, wild with excitement and asking Malcolm to take her to see... (full context)

After the warmup rounds of dancing, Laura tells Malcolm she wants to compete. While he is skeptical about her ability to maintain... (full context)

As people in the crowd are congratulating Laura, Malcolm catches the eye of a beautiful, tall, blonde woman named Sophia. As dating white... (full context)

Laura never comes back to the drugstore after this. When Malcolm sees her again, years later,... (full context)

...show regret for a portion of his life, and that’s regarding his brief relationship with Laura. Another time, he mentions to Alex that the day he put a gun to his... (full context)