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Chapter 105
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
By July of 1990, Mandela is back in South Africa, and violence has only gotten worse. The government led by de Klerk recently arrested several ANC members. Mandela believes that the violence in the country is an impediment to future negotiations, and he believes the government is responsible for stoking tensions. Although he has temporarily advised the ANC against using the violent tactics that MK used in the past, he begins to reconsider this position.
Earlier, Mandela wrote about sitting across the table from de Klerk and having what seemed like a productive conversation about limiting violence in the country. Now, however, Mandela sees that the government hasn’t been keeping its word. This shows the dangers of Mandela’s strategy of trusting his opponents, but it does not seem to fundamentally shake his belief in the idea of trying to find unity.
Themes
