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Summary
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Long Walk to Freedom, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Racism and Division
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress
Nonviolent Protest vs. Violent Protest
The Value of Optimism
Summary
Analysis
Mandela’s father, Gadla Henry Mphakanyiswa, gives him the name Rolihlahla, which in Xhosa means something like “troublemaker.” He doesn’t get the name Nelson until his first day of school. He is born July 18th, 1918, in a small village called Mvezo. His father is a chief of the Thembu tribe, who rule in the Transkei area of South Africa, although at this point in history, chiefs need approval by the English government. Mandela is expected to one day counsel the leaders of his tribe.
Mandela’s description of his birth gives a sense of the many different identities he will assume over the course of his life. On the one hand, Mandela comes from a proud heritage of African leaders, and this hints at how Mandela will be a natural fit for leadership as he grows up. Still, this passage also shows how European colonists and their descendants like the magistrate are attempting to exert their control over South African life, pushing aside the old traditions.
Themes
Mandela’s father has four wives, and his mother, Nosekeni Fanny, is known as the Right Hand wife. Each wife has their own kraal (homestead). Mandela’s father can be rebellious, and one day he gets into a complaint with one of his subjects about a stray ox. The subject takes the case to an English magistrate, and when Mandela’s father refuses to come see the magistrate, the magistrate deposes him. Mandela’s father loses his family fortune.
Mandela’s father’s rebelliousness and refusal to do as he’s told foreshadow what Mandela himself will do with his life. Mandela’s father loses his status due to his rebellion, but Mandela’s life offers an opportunity for redemption and for a new generation to reclaim the status that Mandela’s father lost.
Themes
