Previous
Chapter 48
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 makes it back to Liliesleaf Farm. He holds a secret meeting with his allies, and they plan to make minor changes to the ANC so that it is easier for foreign governments to understand their goals. One day, while Mandela is out driving around the country with a friend, he sees a car with White men in it signaling for them to stop and knows that his “freedom” is over. The men are police officers, and they take Mandela to the local station, where he refuses to give his name or make a statement. In prison, Mandela hears a cough and is surprised to find that it’s Sisulu.
Mandela’s plan to change South Africa with help from outside nations ends up being strategic, even if it does take a long time for it to pay off. The fact that Mandela’s freedom ends while he’s driving around in his car shows how the government’s goal is to restrict his movement—knowing that his ideas could be influential if he has the chance to spread them. Mandela’s refusal to give his name reflects a more defiant attitude than he’s expressed previously, seemingly reflecting an increasing lack of faith in the government to carry out justice.
Themes
Mandela is taken to court and charged with leaving the country without travel documents, a “crime” that can lead to up to a decade in prison. Mandela sees Winnie looking distressed in the spectator gallery. She is allowed to visit him later when he’s detained at Johannesburg Fort, and Mandela tries to reassure her.
The presence of Winnie in the audience shows how Mandela’s potential imprisonment has costs not just for him but also to the many other people in his life, first among them his family.
Themes
