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Chapter 57
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
Friday, June 12, 1964, is Mandela’s last day in court. Security is high, although Mandela manages to wave to Winnie and his mother in the crowd. The journalist Harold Hanson and the author Alan Paton come to plead mercy on Mandela’s behalf, but Judge de Wet doesn’t seem to be listening. After this, the judge reads out that Mandela and the others will not face the death penalty, but they will face a life sentence. Mandela and the others celebrate, although it’s bittersweet.
Harold Hanson and Alan Paton were White writers who nevertheless took Mandela’s side over the government’s, showing the persuasiveness of Mandela’s messages to those willing to listen. Although Judge de Wet doesn’t seem to be listening to arguments for mercy, he does ultimately give Mandela a sentence that is less severe than it could be, a positive development given the circumstances.
Themes
