Structure

The structure of the memoir Long Walk to Freedom is broken up into eleven titled Parts corresponding to different phases and moments in Nelson Mandela’s life. In general, the early parts show Mandela’s increasing politicization. The chapters are roughly equal in length, with Part One describing Mandela’s boyhood and youth and Part Two describing Mandela’s time in Johannesburg, where he is exposed to the Communist and anti-apartheid opinions of Walter Sisulu and Gaur Rambede. In Part Three, “Birth of a Freedom Fighter,” Mandela begins spending increasing amounts of time in Walter Sisulu’s house, where many ANC agitators go to discuss strategy. It also traces his evolving opinion towards Communism, from hostility towards cautious understanding if not a warm embrace.

Parts Four through Seven detail his increasing tensions between Mandela and the government, culminating at the end of Part Seven in his sentencing...