Long Walk to Freedom

Long Walk to Freedom

by

Nelson Mandela

Long Walk to Freedom: Chapter 74 Summary & Analysis

Summary
Analysis
Colonel Willemse succeeds Badenhorst and is not quite progressive, but he’s much better than his predecessor. Willemse asks Mandela for help disciplining the prisoners. Mandela gets permission to meet with his allies to consider the proposal. More MK soldiers enter the prison, and while Mandela isn’t happy to see them captured, he’s grateful for news from the outside.
Although Mandela tries to see the humanity in all his oppressors, he also changes his behavior based on how reasonable his current adversary seems. Here, Mandela can sense that Willemse is more reasonable than Badenhorst, and so Mandela cooperates with him, reasoning that it’s important to cooperate if there’s a chance doing so will help his cause.
Themes
Negotiation, Democracy, and Progress Theme Icon