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Chapter 70
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
Conditions on Robben Island slowly improve, although there are still setbacks. Prisoners are eventually allowed to attend religious services. Mandela is Methodist but attends every ceremony he can of all religions. Prisoners hold tournaments in chess, checkers, bridge, and Scrabble. They also put on plays around Christmas, and Mandela gets involved with a production of Antigone.
Mandela’s interest in all religions, even ones that are very different from his, show how he has an interest in the things that unify people. In a similar vein, the games and theater production that Mandela gets involved with also fulfill the role of bringing people together. Antigone is especially significant because it’s a play about an unjust government.
Themes
