Previous
Chapter 18
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
Because Mandela can’t attend the ANC conference, another member of the executive reads the speech he had prepared, which becomes known as “The No Easy Walk to Freedom” speech after a line from Jawaharlal Nehru. Mandela’s opponents try to get his attorney accreditation removed due to his political activities, but he manages to win his case. Luckily, he gets a judge who believes in judicial independence, rather than just working for the Nationalists.
Jawaharlal Nehru was a prominent anti-colonial leader in India who went on to become the country’s first prime minister. As a man who is now considered one of the founders of modern India, it’s clear why he would be an inspiration to Mandela, who one day hopes to remake South Africa using tactics based on those used by the anti-colonial movement in India.
Themes
