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Chapter 69
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
Time seems to stop in prison even as it keeps going outside. Mandela’s children grow up, and his mother loses a lot of weight. Eventually, Mandela learns that his mother has died of a heart attack. Her death causes Mandela to reflect on his life and how, despite the difficulties, he is glad he has dedicated himself to liberation. On May 12, 1969, Winnie is arrested and detained without trial under the terms of the Terrorism Act. It pains Mandela to think of Winnie in jail. In July of the same year, Mandela learns that his son Thembi has died in a car accident at age 25.
The death of Mandela’s father and then later the death of Jongintaba were also occasions that caused Mandela to reflect on his life. With the passing of each authority figure in Mandela’s life, the burden becomes more and more on him to lead a way into the future. But as Mandela learns in particular after the death of Thembi, the future is far from certain, and sometimes even Mandela’s best efforts can do nothing to stop it.
Themes
