TSOTSI

PLOT STRUCTURE

DENOUMENT /
EXPOSITION RISING ACTION CLIMAX RESOLUTION
FALLING ACTION

Introduction to setting, Outcome of conflict explored;

characters and socio-political
context, creates the atmosphere
for rest of the novel
Tsotsi, Boston, Butcher, Die
Aap, Gumboot Dhlamini
Gang culture; township life;
migrant labour; apartheid
Development of characters,
action, themes
Conflict within Tsotsi; Boston
questions Tsotsi; Tsotsi
becomes angry at the questions;
questions prompt Tsotsi to think
and remember; baby acts as an
agent of change; Tsotsi grapples
with meaning / purpose life
events resulting from outcome;
Highest tension Final outcome of the novel.
explanations
Flashback to Tsotsi’s past;
Tsotsi in conversation with
flashback to the original agent of
Tsotsi stalks Morris Tshabalala; Miriam and then Isaiah.;
change; memory of Tsotsi's
Tsotsi and Morris in discussions about. moving
mother being taken away in a
conversation; Tsotsi lets Morris forward in life and religion;
raid and his father kicking the
live; catharsis redemption of Tsotsi; Tsotsi
yellow bitch; Tsotsi seeks out
(release/purification) sacrifices his life to save the
Boston for conversation; religion
baby
introduced
THEMES
A theme is a central idea that recurs throughout a text. While some themes are particular to a region because of the socio-historic context of a text, many are applicable to all
people, across generations in time and place. The themes in Tsotsi are universal even though the text is set in South Africa.
FATE AND CHOICE
• Your thoughts and actions are often a direct response to the context in which you
live. Throughout the novel, we see characters acting and thinking in particular ways
because of the situation in which they find themselves. To what extent are the
characters' actions determined by the harsh conditions in which they live and which
are forced on them by apartheid? Is this the hand that fate has dealt them?
• Characters are also presented with choices in the novel. Boston, for example,
chooses not to return to his mother after being expelled from college. How would
his life have been different if he had chosen to go home? Would he still have
resorted to criminal activity? Miriam chooses not to give in to the harsh conditions
of township life. She chooses to rule her own fate and not allow her past to dictate
her present and her future.
• Tsotsi's traumatic experience is linked to fate. He was not able to choose what
happened to his mother and the impact this would have on his life. However, he
eventually comes to realise that he cannot remember when he actually chose to
follow the course of violence and realises that "killing itself was a choice". Once
Tsotsi recognises that he is able to choose his course of action and that he is not
merely governed by dark impulses, he is able to progress on his path to redemption.
HUMAN DECENCY AND MORALITY
• Society has a moral code by which people live. It expects individuals to have an
understanding of the difference between right and wrong. Tsotsi shows readers
what happens to society in the absence of morality.
• Tsotsi's transformation from someone devoid of morals — as characterised by his
antisocial behaviour — to a moral person — one who assumes responsibility for a
baby and sacrifices his life for its survival — suggests a need for morality in society.
• As the novel progresses, the reader sees Tsotsi become increasingly conflicted
between his thoughts and his actions. As his awareness of moral values and his
empathy for others increase, he is unable to act in his usual violent manner. His
growing selfawareness and his soul prevent him from carrying out these actions.
• Boston proposes that the reason he reacts the way he does to the gang's murders
is because he has a soul — a moral conscience — and it is this that causes him to
HOPE AND FEAR
• A number of characters provide us with a sense of hope for humankind; a sense
that a positive outcome in life is possible despite the conditions in which you find
yourself. Tsotsi's transformation of character provides readers with the hope that
even those people who inflict violence and terrorise society are able to change.
• Miriam's care of both her own child and Tsotsi's baby provides us with the hope
that these children may have a brighter future.
• Despair, however, is closely related to hope. Tsotsi's hope of seeing his mother
again, and of a better life, is never realised and leads to despair. This feeling of
despair from the shock of his mother being taken away and the death of the bitch
forces him to repress his memories. By repressing his memories, Tsotsi avoids
despair and how vulnerable it makes him in order to survive.
• Fear, like hope, is a strong motivator. Boston, for example, had a promising future
but all hope of this was destroyed by "a mistake". He fears disappointing his mother
and dashing her hopes for him and, as a result, turns to illegal activities to earn
money and survive. He is motivated by fear and desperation.
• Tsotsi and his gang are feared by society, which has a direct impact on the hope
others around them have. Despite Miriam's hope for Simon's return and for her
baby's future, she is afraid of Tsotsi and he exploits this fear.
• Fear and violence breed further fear and violence, which ultimately leads to the
destruction of society. The apartheid government rules with fear, intimidation and
violence — all characteristics one sees in Tsotsi's gang.
REDEMPTION, RELIGION AND MERCY
• Tsotsi shows mercy to Morris Tshabalala by allowing him to live. His decision to do
so comes from his growing ability to empathise with others and his growing
awareness of choice and morality.
• Tsotsi's desire to keep the baby alive also reflects his changing character and move
towards redeeming himself of his past actions.
• Isaiah is the link between Tsotsi and religion. He tolls the bell to call Tsotsi to believe
in God.
• Boston prompts Tsotsi to search for God. Tsotsi finds himself at the Church of
Christ the Redeemer. The name of the church clearly implies that religion and
redemption are interlinked. Tsotsi was set on the path to redemption long before
he met Isaiah. Is his redemption a result of the revival of his core moral values
rather than finding God? Is religion essential for redemption?
 reject the violent behaviour of the gang. This raises the question: if Boston has a
conscience, what causes him to become involved in the gang? Why does his soul
(what he terms "decency"), not prevent him from participating in the gang's
activities?
IDENTITY
• A number of factors serve to influence your identity: the impact of your past and
present, the influence of your parents, peers and others, as well as the socio-
historic context in which you live.
• The South African context in which they live has an impact on all of the characters
in Tsotsi. They are oppressed by the apartheid government and, as a result, their
lives are hard. How each character responds to this oppression and hardship is
influenced by the degree to which they know and understand themselves — their
identity. This determines their thoughts and actions.
• Without an awareness of who he is, Tsotsi is unable to function positively in society.
He needs to remember where he comes from, what his roots are and who his
parents are in order to establish a sense of self. The absence of nurturing and
caring parental figures, however, alters Tsotsi's identity. The abduction of his
mother and his flight from home force him to assume the self-created identity of
Tsotsi instead of continuing to be the David of his youth. This and other trauma that
Tsotsi experiences in his past see him bury his memories deep in his subconscious,
blocking them from his conscious self. Even though this acts as an emotional
protection for Tsotsi, the absence of his memories and core values allows him to
act violently without feeling guilt, thus distorting his identity. The absence of his true
identity prevents him from functioning effectively in society.
• Boston and Morris ask Tsotsi questions about his past; none of which he can
answer. He needs to discover his roots in order to establish his own unique identity.
Without a true understanding of his roots (where he comes from), Tsotsi struggles
to understand himself and forms an identity through the reactions of others to him.
When other characters react in fear, for example, he knows it is because they
recognise his existence. Similarly, Soekie shows the importance of knowing one's
past in order to understand one's identity as she writes letters home asking for her
date of birth.
• The gang members are full of bravado. They need to project an image that shows
no trace of vulnerability: Tsotsi cannot admit to the baby in his care, Boston gets
teased for vomiting and Butcher is physically and verbally abusive to women. This
image or identity projected to each other and society could very well be the result
of peer pressure.
BELONGING
• A sense of belonging — a sense of community — is established throughout the
novel. The characters are all residents of the township and share a common
experience in terms of the social conditions, the living conditions and their
oppression. Despite the harsh conditions (or maybe because of them), a sense of
belonging together, and to the township, is established. The people of the township
are also united in their sense of alienation from the rest of South African society
because of their oppression. They are treated as inferior by the apartheid regime
which rejects any non-white person from the white society. This alienation from the
white population and the injustice they experience unites the people of the
township, as does their rejection of the lifestyle forced on them. This commonality
helps them form their own sense of belonging.
• A sense of belonging provides comfort and safety for individuals and offers them a
better chance of survival. This is seen in the apparent benefits associated with gang
membership in Tsotsi. Petah's gang brings Tsotsi comfort and teaches him how to
live on the street, which is essential for survival. This group membership is
seemingly positive and protects the welfare of its individuals. Although Tsotsi's
gang has a negative impact on society, it also creates a sense of belonging among
members and teaches them differing skills or virtues that Tsotsi deems necessary
to carry out the intimidation and violence they inflict on others.
• Tsotsi's gang members carry out their violent activities as a unit and assume a
common identity, which helps them avoid questioning their individual morality. In
this way the individual members are able to apportion blame across the group and
not take responsibility for their own part in the attacks.
NOTE
• Ubuntu is the principle that you only exist by means of and because of other people.
In a sense it means that you are only human because of an interconnectedness
with and sense of belonging to other humans.
• The establishment of community and identity in the novel is key. While Tsotsi's
gang does create a sense of belonging for its members, it also alienates the gang
members from the rest of the community because of the fear they inspire. This
sense of belonging, therefore, does not align itself with the true spirit of ubuntu.
 SURVIVAL AND MORTALITY
• Day-to-day survival in the impoverished township is challenging, not least of which
is because of the violence carried out by the gang members living there. Tsotsi's
gang attaches little value to human life. They think nothing of killing their victims in
order to steal their money.
• Attitudes towards survival and the contemplation of mortality are identifiable
• in Morris Tshabalala. While he initially questions his value to society and would
rather be dead, he experiences a revelation when confronted and threatened by
Tsotsi. This encounter helps him realise that he wants to live.
• The desire to survive at all costs is also seen in the baby: it survives abandonment,
malnourishment, being hidden in the ruins without someone caring for it and the
attack of the ants. We are reminded not only of how fragile human life is, but also
of how the human body and spirit fight for survival.
• The baby's survival and Tsotsi's care of it are intimately linked to the revival Of
Tsotsi's past. He is given the baby — a human life — for which he assumes
responsibility and does everything in his power to keep alive. In so doing he revives
the life of David, his former self. In this way the survival of both characters depends
on each other.
VIOLENCE
• South Africa has a history of resolving conflict by means of violence. The apartheid
police, for example, dealt violently with protestors of apartheid laws and policies.
The episodes of violence we read in the novel are mirrored in South African society
even today. The police's brutal shooting of miners on strike at Marikana is an
example of this. The novel, like the country's history, shows that nothing good
comes from violence — it breeds further violence and mistrust, which breaks down
any opportunity for peaceful negotiation and co-existence.
• The violent nature of Tondi's arrest, as well as Tsotsi's father's violent reaction
when he returns home, causes the breakdown of Tsotsi's family and the beginning
of Tsoti's repression of his memories.
• The nature of violent crime in South Africa is reflected in the gang's attacks on
individuals. Butcher is essentially a vehicle for the robbery, rape and murder that
takes place in the novel. Is he violent by nature or is a lack of nurture and the harsh
conditions in which he lives the reason that he turns to violence? Is his violence
purely a means of survival? Remember, though, Butcher is only one member of
Tsotsi's gang.
• The group act collectively when inflicting their violence.
• Tsotsi, however, breaks the cycle of violence by not giving up on the baby. Once
the baby is given to him, and its survival rests in his hands, he feels responsible for
its life. He also feels the need to nurture it in order to revive the David of his past.
With the guidance of a caring parent, David may not have turned to violent crime
and may have developed into a positive contributor to society.
 TSOTSI (DAVID)

Tsotsi started life as David. This is the name given to him by his mother. As a child he lives an innocent and
contented life. He is catapulted into gang life and violent crime as a means of survival after he witnesses the
apartheid police taking away his mother in a pass law raid, from which she never returns. David also witnesses
rage and violence from his father, which motivates him to run away from home. Petah's gang takes him in.
Traumatised, he suppresses all memory of his identity as David.
Facts

Petah's gang helps David form a new identity and Tsotsi is born: a character who lives a life of robbery, rape
and murder. He has three rules by which he lives his life. He becomes the leader of a gang that uses violent
crime as a means of survival. Despite being the youngest member of the gang, he is well respected and also
feared by the other members. Tsotsi's only response to situations that threaten his existence is violence -
lashing out and beating those who challenge him in any way.
Tsotsi has no sense of his own identity. He understands himself through other people's fear and hatred of
him. Tsotsi's survival depends on the three rules he lives by:

1. He makes sure that he is aware of the location of his knife before doing anything at all.
2. He never disturbs the darkness within himself, or reflects on or attempts to know anything about
himself and keeps all memories at bay.
3. He does not tolerate questions from others in order to preserve the darkness that exists within him.

Tsotsi is challenged by the questions that Boston asks about him because he does not know their answers.
He gets angry at Boston and responds with extreme violence to questions about his childhood, the memories
Identity

of which he has suppressed due to trauma. He physically flees his memories after brutally beating Boston.
After the robbery and murder of Gumboot Dhlamini, he starts to feel differently. Boston's questions and talk
of decency following the murder initiate Tsoti's journey of self-discovery.

The baby that is thrust into Tsotsi's life acts as a catylyst for change. By caring for it, Tsotsi begins to
experience a number of conflicting sensations and emotions, which force him to confront his own identity and
stir a nurturing instinct in him. Tsotsi's experience with Morris Tshabalala helps him to empathise with others.

Later, Tsotsi rejects Butcher and Die Aap, which symbolises his rejection of his lifestyle as a violent gangster.
He recognises that there are alternatives to this life and begins to change. He confronts his past in a series
of flashbacks and, in so doing, reconciles himself with his childhood identity and rejects his adult lifestyle. He
finally redeems himself by sacrificing his life for the life of the baby.
The attack on Gumboot Dhlamini shows us how the gang arbitrarily selects its victims. Gumboot
Interactions with other characters

Gumboot
Dhlamini happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when Tsotsi sees him. Tsotsi
Dhlamini:
chooses him because of his positivity.
Likewise, Tsotsi is drawn to Miriam because of her positivity and nurturing instincts. Tsotsi needs
Miriam to feed the baby. Miriam displays selflessness to Tsotsi by agreeing to feed and care for
Miriam: the baby. She also shows him that one can be in charge of one's own destiny by accepting that
Simon, her husband, is dead. She does not allow her past to dictate her present, thus refusing
to be a victim of circumstance.
Tsotsi's search for answers leads him to the Church of Christ the Redeemer where he meets
Isaiah. From him, Tsotsi learns a little more about religion and God and the role that this plays
Isaiah: in people's lives. Isaiah informs him of the concept of sin which he characterises as murder, theft
and rape - all crimes Tsotsi has committed. Tsotsi learns that he will be " punished", "given hell"
or maybe even "killed" by God for his sins.
Tsotsi is the protagonist, a sort of anti-hero, whose birth name is David. He gives himself the name Tsotsi
after joining Petah's gang - a name which translated means "thug". He lives an aimless life characterised by
Summary

violence and gangsterism, which are his means of survival in the township. He lacks decency and basic moral
values, has no empathy for others and their plight in life and resorts to antisocial behaviour as a means of
defining himself. Tsotsi is a round character who shows the reader how both good and evil exist within all
people and how these traits reveal themselves in life. He exists as a victim of circumstances. The extent to
which he allows these circumstances to determine his fate is his choice.
 BOSTON

Walter 'Boston' Nguza was born in Umtata (now Mthatha). He lived there with his mother and was educated
at St John's College to standard eight (now grade 10) before winning a scholarship to St Peter's High School
in Johannesburg.

His teachers describe Boston as a serious youth with a bright future ahead of him. This future is cut short,
however, when he is expelled from college after being accused of raping a fellow student. Not wanting to
Facts

disappoint his mother, he does not return home after leaving the college. Instead, he writes letters, falsely
informing his mother that he has completed his studies early and is looking for a teaching post in
Johannesburg.

With no money and no job, Boston is introduced to gangsterism at Marty's Shebeen. He uses his intelligence
to solve a problem for a gang. The gang leader, Tsotsi, recognises his value and invites him to join the gang.
Boston is different to the other members of the gang because he thinks deeply and is affected by the violence
they inflict. He questions the gang's lack of morality because he is able to empathise with the gang's victims.
Boston is a natural speaker and a storyteller. He has a questioning nature and is characterised by intelligence
and a smile that he uses to try and -S hide his fear. Boston questions Tsotsi, which prompts Tsotsi's journey
towards redemption even though Tsotsi brutally beats him because of this. Later in the novel, Boston
introduces Tsotsi to the notion of God.
Identity

Boston is a nervous individual who thinks deeply about life. After being expelled from college, he develops a
theory that he calls the philosophy TS of error, which proposes that a series of mistakes can determine your
future. His soul and his ability to access his emotions allow him to empathise with other characters. He is
upset by the violence of gang life. Boston is almost a reluctant member of the gang, participating in their
criminal activities because of peer pressure. Boston agrees to the job on the trains after trying to delay the
others with his questions, showing his need to belong to the gang. While Boston clearly believes in fate, he
acknowledges the possibility of God acting in Tsotsi's life and the morality that this involves.
Boston's interaction with Tsotsi is one of the most important because it creates an awareness in
Interactions with other characters

Tsotsi that something has changed. Tsotsi acknowledges that things have not felt the same since
Boston joined the gang and started asking questions and so it is Boston who stirs a change in
Tsotsi's feelings. He causes Tsotsi to question his own roots, explore his repressed memories and
Tsotsi: search for purpose and morality. Boston tries to make Tsotsi understand his empathy for the gang's
victims and to explore his, Tsotsi's, soul. He breaks one of Tsotsi's three rules: don't ask questions.
Tsotsi beats Boston and leaves him for dead. Later Tsotsi recognises that he needs Boston to
answer his questions - questions that essentially revolve around the meaning and purpose of life
and the existence of moral values. Boston tells Tsotsi, "You are asking me about God" and so
Tsotsi goes to Christ the Redeemer Church to find answers as to why he is changing.
Boston's relationship with Marty cannot last. He debases her, which is reflected in the sickened
state of his soul after the first killing in which he is involved. Although his involvement in the violence
Marty:
sickens him, he is unable to refuse participating in it. Marty recognises that Boston is damaged
physically, emotionally and spiritually as a result of his involvement with Tsotsi.
Boston represents decency in the novel. He is a character who has a moral conscience and stirs an
Summary

awareness of morality in Tsotsi. Boston's questions move the plot forward by acting as the catalyst for the
growth and development of Tsotsi as a character. Boston is both compassionate and gentle characteristics
that are not identifiable in many of the other characters. Boston is evidence of how fate, socio-political
conditions and one's own mistakes can derail a life full of potential.
 MORRIS TSHABALALA

Morris Tshabalala is an intended victim of Tsotsi. He lost his legs in a mining accident and uses his hands to
move around. The physical darkness in which he spent his working days in the mines is replaced by a
Facts

darkness within himself. He is bitter and angry at the situation in which he finds himself. He eats at The Bantu
Eating House, which is characterised by its poverty but affords him interaction with others who suffer a similar
life of poverty. Until he meets Tsotsi, Morris Tshabalala does not fear anything or anyone after the accident
that renders him disabled.
Morris Tshabalala is angry and bitter because society does not value him as he is unable to walk. He is angry
with the socio-political system that has left him disabled and unable to support himself. The system abused
him for his labour in the pursuit of wealth for the white minority. He struggles to find a reason to live and
questions his own mortality. While being stalked by Tsotsi, however, he comes to the conclusion that there is
value in life and that he is still able to appreciate what life has to offer. Morris Tshabalala is a proud man who
Identity

initially despises the money given to him out of pity. He wants to earn his money honestly by working for it
because he wants to be useful and attaches a sense of dignity to employment. As a result of this, he refuses
the money given to him by strangers by throwing it away. Once he spends the last of his money, he is forced
to accept that he needs these donations and sacrifices his pride in order to survive. In this way Morris
Tshabalala represents all those who are forced to accept the charity of others in society. These individuals
are not always able to provide adequately for themselves as a result of discrimination in an unjust society, in
this apartheid South Africa.
Like Tsotsi, Morris Tshabalala undergoes a transformation in the novel. He begins to realise that he
Interactions with other

appreciates life and shifts his perspective while being stalked by Tsotsi. The little things in life like
rainfall and the warmth of the stones beneath him make him realise that he does want to continue
characters

living despite his difficult circumstances. Morris Tshabalala invokes pity in Tsotsi, which is a new
Tsotsi: sensation for the protagonist. It leads to empathy and so Tsotsi spares his life. Morris Tshabalala
tells Tsotsi that while he was being followed, he not only felt a fear of death but also experienced a
revelation - he wants to live and that life and its experiences still matter to him. This helps Tsotsi to
remember other events from his past. Morris Tshabalala finally leaves Tsotsi with the statement that
all mothers love their children which accelerates the resurfacing of Tsotsi's memories.
Morris Tshabalala is the antithesis of Gumboot Dhlamini - small in stature and without hope. The
disfigurement of his body after the accident can be seen as a symbol of life's ugliness. He reveals the ugly
Summary

truth that those who are prosperous around him are the people who destroyed him — it is because of the
pursuit of their wealth that he worked in the mine that cost him his legs. Morris Tshabalala develops a new
appreciation for life despite his circumstances and realises that he wants to live. In this way he progresses to
the point of hoping for the future. He stirs feelings of pity and empathy in Tsotsi, which cause Tsotsi to
reconsider his values. This advances Tsotsi's journey of self-awareness and redemption.