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Chapter 15
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
Throughout his activism, Mandela continues to work at various law firms. He studies for the qualification exam, and he eventually passes, which allows him to become a full-fledged attorney. In August of 1952, Mandela opens his own law office with fellow African lawyer Oliver Tambo, the first firm owned by African lawyers in the country. Among other things, they help fellow African people who get charged with the crime of going to “Whites Only” areas. The government tries to shut them down for lacking the proper permit, but eventually, they sort it out.
Mandela’s job as a lawyer reflects his interest in the law and his belief that it’s possible to bring about justice by working within the legal system, at least to an extent. Mandela and Tambo continue to protest apartheid by offering their legal services to people who are charged with unfair, ludicrous crimes.
Themes
