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Chapter 22
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
On December 5, 1956, Mandela wakes to a loud knock on his door. Police come in and arrest him for high treason. Mandela gets taken to the local police station and learns that there has been a raid on activists across the country. Although he gets transferred to prison, he is encouraged when he reads in newspapers about how people are outraged by the raids.
The police have gone from stopping Mandela out in public to intruding on him in his own home. This reflects how the South African government has become increasingly violent and brazen, reflecting how the journey towards equal rights in the country was full of setbacks along the way.
Themes
Mandela arrives in court as part of a group of 156 activists all charged with treason. Supporters have crowded into the court. While a prosecutor is reading the charges, a gunshot goes off, and the trial ends up being delayed over the course of a couple days. When Mandela is released on bail, ironically, Black and Coloured people have to pay less for bail than White people.
The gunshot at the trial highlights how violence is increasingly playing a role in disrupting daily life in South Africa. When Mandela notes that White people ironically had to pay more for bail, this is one of many ways that he calls attention to the fact that apartheid even hurts White people, even if it is to a lesser extent.
Themes
