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Chapter 75
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
Robben Island becomes known as the University due to how much the prisoners there study. During downtime at the quarry, Sisulu teaches a course he’s invented about the history of the ANC. Mandela also busies himself with legal work for African people who can’t afford a lawyer (since South African law doesn’t guarantee one). Mandela only obtains some victories, and often he never meets the people he helps, but it still helps to give him a sense of purpose.
The lack of a guaranteed lawyer for accused people is yet another sign of the crookedness of the South African justice system during this time period. As is typical for Mandela, he doesn’t succeed in everything he attempts, but the few legal victories that he does score for clients help him to make incremental progress despite his imprisonment.
Themes
