Teacher notes on each chapter of Tsotsi

Chapter 1:
● The 4 gang members, Tsotsi, Die Aap, Boston and Butcher had a reputation in the
township of being dangerous. People feared them.
● Gumboot was a migrant worker. Athol Fugard gives us an endearing description of
Gumboot in order to create empathy and emotions.
● On his way home, Gumboot made 3 mistakes ultimately resulting in him being Tsotsi’s
target.
○ He smiled - “...that smile was as white as light” - a contrast to dark evil within
Tsotsi.
○ He wore a tie that was “flaming red with bolts of silver lightning” and this made
him stand out.
○ He bought his train ticket with money from his pay pocket.
● Tsotsi and the gang closed in on Gumboot and killed him with a bicycle spoke.
● This shows their aggressiveness. How heartless, brutal and cruel they are.
● “Tsotsi smiled at the growing bewilderment on the big bastard’s face, waiting for and
catching the explosion of darkness in the eyes as Butcher worked the spoke up into his
heart.”
● “Tsotsi bent close to the dying man and in his ear whispered an obscene reference to his
mother.”
● Boston became sick from these actions. “...who was also sick, sick right through his
brain, through his heart into his stomach, and was fighting to keep it down…”

Chapter 2:
● We meet Soekie who is the Shebeen owner.
● Boston's reaction to the actions of the gang is described in chapter 2. He questions the
gang's actions (referring to Gumboot and the woman in the bar) and feels outnumbered.
“Moving like a cornered animal trapped in a ring of ridicule, looking for its opening and its
escape”
● Boston has a conscience. He feels guilt and is overwhelmed with remorse. (Physically
sick after committing the crime).
● “He hated Boston” “It was because of his questions.” Boston is a voice of reason. He
awakens Tsotsi’s conscience.
● Tsotsi is threatened by Boston prying and asking nosy questions that dig up a painful
past he (Tsotsi) would prefer to erase.
● ‘That’s why I got sick!”
‘You was as sick as a dog man.’
‘Decency.’
‘What the hell is that?’
‘Everything you are not.’ pg 17
Boston is creating awareness of how the gang lacks a moral code.
● ‘I had a little bit of it so I was sick and that big bastard had a lot so he’s dead.’ pg 18.
Boston is creating guilt and reminding Tsotsi of the innocent victim’s decency.
 ● ‘Listen Tsotsi. How old are you?’ This shows how Boston continues to pry into Tsotsi’s
past.
● Tsotsi avoids questions from his past. It was one of his rules but he also did it because
he was insecure, not knowing the answers. “Tsotsi hated the questions for a profound
but simple reason. He didn’t know the answers…” pg 19.
● “Tsotsi didn’t know because he had never been told” pg 19. Link to upbringing.
● “ He allowed himself no thought of himself, he remembered no yesterdays, and
tomorrow existed only when it was the present, living moment.” pg 19. Tsotsi has no
background history, no frame of reference of where he comes from or who he is.
● Butcher and Die Aap rape the woman from the bar.
● ‘What’s the matter. Sick again?’
One’s enough’, Boston said.
‘One what?’
‘You know. You chose him.’
‘It’s not the same.’
‘What’s the difference?’
‘She’ll live.’ pg 21.
● ‘You feel nothing?’ Boston says “One’s enough” Because the gang had already killed
Gumboot that night, he didn't want them to kill the woman from the tavern too. Tsotsi
shows indifference and a lack of humanity that the gang-raped the woman.
● Boston continues to question Tsotsi about his upbringing etc. He says. “You must have a
soul Tsotsi. Everybody’s got a soul.” pg 23. He hits a raw nerve in Tsotsi and Tsotsi hits
Boston.
● “You’ll feel something one day. Ja Tsotsi. One day it’s going to happen. And God help
you that day, because when it comes you won’t know what to do. You won’t know what
to do with that feeling.” pg 23. This is a foreshadowing of Tsotsi’s redemption later.
● “Tsotsi went to work on him,” pg 24. Tsotsi took out all his anger, rage and insecurities on
Boston. He was physically an emotional punch bag for Tsotsi to unleash his flood of
anger and pain.

Chapter 3:
● “One day one day God help you that day
One day you won’t know what to do what to do” pg 25.
These lines have begun tormenting Tsotsi. His journey of awakening has begun.
● This phrase is repeated on pg 27 and haunts Tsotsi’s thoughts. He cannot escape this
and runs.
● “He pushed his body to its limit, working his legs and his lungs until his mind went blank”
pg 27. Tsotsi is physically trying to expel the thoughts and words.
● Tsotsi eventually rests to rest because he was tired.
● Tsotsi shares the reasons why he picked each gang member pg. 29
○ Boston - Cleaver
○ Butcher - accuracy
○ Die Aap - strength
 ● Tsotsi avoids many of Boston’s questions because he does not know the answers. This
creates a feeling of inadequacy which leads him to be aggressive and violent.
● “When he thought of himself inwardly, Tsotsi thought of darkness.” pg 29. This is a
self-reflection.
● Tsotsi’s 3 rules - pg 30.
○ Rule 1 - The rule of the waking moment. (He uses an ocean metaphor to
describe this). He has to be present in the moment and he has to see his knife.
His knife provides security, power and it grounded him.
○ Rule 2 - “Never to disturb his inward darkness with the light of a thought about
himself or the attempt at a memory.” pg 31. Tsotsi does not think of the past or
any childhood memories. Reference to spider. Here an incident is also described
where the police drag a prisoner past Tsotsi. “He was remembering the face” as it
was a member of the childhood gang to which Tsotsi belonged. It was Petah. And
for the first time, we hear Tsoti’s real name, “David.” Pg 32.
○ Rule 3 - “Tsotsi tolerated no questions from another.” He simply didn’t know the
answers and “Tsotsi feared nothingness” pg 32. “To know nothing about yourself
is to be constantly in danger of nothingness”. We see in chapter 9 that he learns
this from the other orphans.
● Tsotsi observes a woman approaching with a shoebox in her hands.
● “Without realizing it, his heart began to beat faster.” pg 33. Tsotsi seems to get an
adrenaline rush and thrives off danger.
● Tsotsi grabs the woman by one arm and swings her into the darkness.
● “With a sudden movement she thrust it into his hands” pg 34.
● “The sound that had stopped him, and saved the woman, was the cry of a baby.” pg 34.
Tsoti’s intention was initially to harm the woman.

Chapter 4:
● Chapter 4 starts off with Tsotsi visiting the General Dealer owned by Cassim.
● Cassim searched the shop to see how many people were around because he was
threatened by Tsotsi’s arrival.
● “He didn’t see the man, he saw the type” pg 35.
● Tsotsi leaves and returns a few times unsure about how to go about buying milk for the
baby. He also wants the store to be completely empty when he buys the milk because
buying milk for a baby could damage his image and reputation of being a ‘thug’ and
being feared. “He was free now to hurry without a loss of pride”.
● Cassim assists Tsotsi by handing him a can of condensed milk.
● Cassim realized something… “He couldn’t read” pg 38. (He being Tsotsi). This also adds
to his insecurities.
● Note that for a long time, Taotsi refers to the baby as ‘It’ which shows the relationship
between them is still impersonal. “It was still alive…” pg 40.
● When Tsotsi got home the next morning, he gave the baby the milk (condensed milk) the
baby wouldn’t stop crying. This made Tsotsi “desperate and uncomfortable.”
● Tsotsi began to think “If only Boston…” pg41 but he interrupted that thought. However,
he knew Boston was educated and clever and would’ve know what to do in this situation.
 ● Tsotsi hides the baby in one of the ruins.
● “…it seemed almost as if there might have been a beginning before the bluegum trees,
but regardless of where or when, he had started doing things that did not fit into the
pattern of his life.” Pg 44. This is the effect that the baby has on Tsotsi. It triggers his
childhood memories and changes his ‘usual’ behaviour.
● “It had broken into his life with shattering improbability” pg 45. The baby chipped away at
his armour, his barriers, his walls of defense.
● “Suddenly, very sharply, and with more pain than he had ever felt before in his life, light
stabbed his darkness and he remembered.” Pg 46. The baby is a catalyst that reminds
Tsotsi of his childhood memories. The baby also triggers change in Tsotsi. He begins to
move away from his bad ways, hence the light stabbing the darkness.
● Tsotsi then remembers the dog for the first time.
● “Something had happened that he had guarded against a long time. He had
remembered.” Before finding the baby, Tsotsi never wanted to delve into his past. It was
one of his rules. However, “the baby had brought it” pg 46 and triggered his childhood
memories.
● “He had never been curious. Now he was… He wanted answers, he wanted the answers
very bad, but he did not have them. That was when he decided to take the baby.” Pg 47
Tsotsi realized that the baby triggers his memory. Because he has become curious about
his past, keeping the baby will help him find the answers he is looking for as the baby
triggers his memories.
● “Tsotsi wanted to know everything” pg 47. Here we see that Tsotsi had a change of
heart. Before, his rule was to never think of the past, now he wants to know everything
about his past and it’s the baby that does this to him. He therefore realizes that he has to
look after (keep alive) and protect the baby if he wants to find out more about himself.

Chapter 5:
● While Tsotsi was in the ruins, two other events took place. 1. Gumboot was buried. 2.
Boston awoke.
● Reverend Henry Ransome and Big Jacob, the digger, were the only two present at the
burial.
● Boston wakes up and is ‘broken’ both literally and figuratively. He is hopeless and
defeated after how things ended with him and Tsotsi. “He had seen his body and felt his
face. He had remembered Tsotsi. There’s nothing left. It’s all finished now.” Pg 50.
● Die Aap and Butcher are waiting outside Tsotsi’s room for him to arrive back home. The
two are leaderless. Wandering around aimlessly and with no purpose.
● “For a long time they had been following Tsotsi in this way. The prospect of getting
through a whole day without him was unsettling.” Pg 51.
● The gang has disintegrated and are directionless. Figuratively, Boston and Butcher are
sinking, while Tsotsi is rising and finding meaning in his life.
● Tsotsi returned home and “went into the room without saying a word to them.” “He
ignored them quite simply because he himself did not know what he wanted. Butcher
and Die Aap were in a strange way remote from his new realities.” Here Tsotsi is
questioning his new direction.
 ● A woman passes as Tsotsi, Boston and Butcher are conversing. Butcher insults the
woman and then suggests that they find a woman and rape her. “Shall we find one and
play?” Pg 52.
● Tsotsi says, “come” and they follow him inside “happily” pg 53. This shows that the two
are happy to have Tsotsi back in the game as their leader.
● Tsotsi then surprises them both with the question “Where is Boston?” This shows his
curiosity again as well as how he is beginning to care. The two explain that they left him
at the back of Soekie’s place.
● “Why then did he find himself looking at them with irritation and impatience.” Pg 54.
Tsotsi begins to review his idea of Butcher and Die Aap.
● He also slips into constant reflection. (This is new!) It was always one of his rules not to
think of the past. But on pg 54 we read about how his thoughts are consumed with the
baby, the dog, the bluegum trees, the shoebox.
● “It was nearing the time when it was expected of him to announce the plan of action for
the night, and he had nothing to say.” Pg 54. For the first time, Tsotsi doesn’t have a plan
and is distracted by other events.
● “Up to that moment he had lived his life as the victim of dark impulses.” Pg 55
● “What he realized now was that something had tampered with the mechanism that had
governed his life, inhibiting it’s function.” Pg 55.
● These two quotes show us that Tsotsi is becoming re-wired and is no longer driven by
violent impulses. So far, this is because of his encounter with the baby.
● Die Aap and Butcher question what next to do and Tsotsi simply says, “we go to the city.”
● The chapter ends with Butcher commenting on the smell in Tsotsi’s room.

Chapter 6:
● Tsotsi finds himself at Terminal Place.
● He finds his next victim, Morris Tshabalala.
● Despite his circumstances (being cripple) Morris is quite a force. He is assertive,
aggressive and not intimidated despite his disability and disadvantage (pg59)
● He does not fear anyone.
● Morris admitted having known fear only once and that was when the mine shaft
collapsed.
● “Why do I go on? He asked himself” “It was a recurring question in his life.” Morris
questions and asks compared to Tsotsi who hides away from his past.
● “Morris Tshabalala was looking for work” pg 63. He wanted to work, not be a beggar.
● “He despised the money beside him. He despised it because of the way of giving and
because he hadn’t worked for it.” Pg 64. He is a man of pride and wants to earn his
money.
● “That was also the first day he kept the money” pg 64. Eventually, Morris realizes that he
will not find a job because of his disability and resigned himself to his fate. Having to
accept money as a beggar in order to survive.
● Morris is pursued by Tsotsi.
 ● “It is for your gold that I had to dig. That is what destroyed me. You are walking on stolen
legs. All of you.” Pg 66. Morris implies that he lost his legs to mind for gold to make the
white man richer.
● Morris makes it to the Bantu Eating House where he felt safe.
● He confessed to himself that “[he was] frightened.” Pg 71
● “I want to live. I didn’t know it. I want to be on the streets again tomorrow.” Morris has
realized that he does have fight and a will to live. He has a fiery spirit to survive.
● Eventuality, “The street was almost empty. He could see no sign of the tsotsi.” But had to
leave because the Bantu Eating House was closing.
● Morris felt vulnerable and realized that Tsotsi was behind him again.
● He took out his money and held it high for Tsotsi to see.
● Tsotsi wasn’t interested in the money but continued to follow the cripple who was
throwing stones at him.
● The chapter ends by describing that Morris at Tsotsi arrived at the moment and place
that Tsotsi had waited so patiently for the whole night.
● Note: despite his fate and circumstances, Morris chooses to live, he does not indulge in
a ‘pity party’ and has learnt to survive in a cruel, dangerous and tough world.
● Note: You’ve got this! Ms Moutzouris loves you!

Chapter 7:
● “Tsotsi let him escape into the safety of the bright lights and big crowds. Allowing that to
happen was in a way like the bluegum trees. It led to a lot.”
● Tsotsi tries to understand why he let the cripple get away.
● Morris reminded Tsotsi of the dog from his childhood.
● “He had felt for his victim.” Pg 79. Through careful observation of his victim, Tsotsi had
started to develop feelings of sympathy for Morris.
● It is also described on pg 79 how Tsotsi took Morris’ feelings into account too. He is
developing empathy.
● Tsotsi sees the cripple, the baby and Boston in a new light after this experience. “He was
seeing him for the first time, in a way that he hadn’t seen him before.” Pg 80.
● “He wanted to see himself. He was sure he looked different.” Pg 80. Here Tsotsi thinks
he looks different because of how different he feels after his encounter with the baby and
Morris. He is beginning to recognize the change within himself.
● Tsotsi and Morris have a conversation and through this conversation and encounter,
Tsotsi realized he wanted to live. “I want to live” pg 84.
● Tsotsi says, “It is over,beggar. I let you live.” Pg 84.
● On his way home, Tsotsi stops a few times and thinks of the dog, the blue guns, the
shoebox and the beggar.
● One day had passed since his rest in the grove of the bluegum trees. “Two midnight
meetings, first with the woman and then the beggar. Looking back, it felt as if he had
woken up to a day of another man’s life.” Pg 89.
● “That one day had left him with an awareness of the strange and sudden turnings that
life could take. There might be more ahead” pg 89. Tsotsi had realized a change in his
life. There was no turning back.
 ● “One day had shaken the whole basis of his life” pg 90. Tsotsi never broke his rules. But
now he found himself thinking of his past.
● Tsotsi realized that he had choices. Killing was a choice and he questions when and how
he made that choice in the first place.
● He curled up on the ground and slept.

Chapter 8:
● The chapter begins with the bell of the Church of Christ the Redeemer.
● The Reverend questions his faith, his role in the township and his relevance in this cruel,
violent, hard world. Pg 92.
● Tsotsi goes back to the ruins and realizes the baby is covered in ants because of the
condensed milk.
● There was also a foul stench from the box.
● “Tsotsi knew it was a crisis and that he had come either with minutes to spare or minutes
too late.” Pg 93.
● “He fought down the desire to throw the lot, baby, condensed milk and spoon, deep into
the ruins and never come back again.” Pg 93.
● “Instead he took a deep breath, held it in, and went to work.” Pg 93. This already shows
a character change in Tsotsi. He could’ve left the baby to die, or fled. But he decided to
keep and save the baby.
● “He was ‘feeling for the baby’.” Pg 94.
● Tsotsi knew the baby had to be fed.
● We’re introduced to Miriam for the first time when the queue at the tap is being
described. She was 18 years old and has a baby, Simon.
● On pg 98 we are given the backstory of Simone’s father. (Also named Simone).
● His story is similar to Gumboots. He simply didn’t come back from work. She searched
and waited for him.
● Miriam earned a living for herself as a wash girl.
● Tsotsi knocked on Miriam’s door. He frightens her in order to get her to feed the baby.
● “If you don’t come, I’ll kill your baby. It won’t take long.” Pg 101.
● Tsotsi dragged Miriam to his room and tore open her blouse. “Feed it”, he said. Pg 101.
● Miriam was repulsed by the baby at first. Because of how dirty he was.
● Miriam cleaned and fed the baby and then left.
● Before she left she made a comment that triggered a childhood memory that was a
turning point in Tsoti’s young life. “A bitch, she said. ‘A bitch in a backyard would look
after its puppies better.” Pg 103.
● We find out later that this memory of Tsotsi’s refers to the traumatic event of Tsotsi
watching the dog die.

Chapter 9:
● There is a change in the tone from the harsh descriptions used in the previous chapters.
● This chapter looks back on Tsotsi’s childhood.
● The author uses words/terms such as “soft”, “warm security”, “ripples of laughter”,
“absolutely safe.” etc.
● The memories spoken of on pg 106 and 107, indicate that Tsotsi was brought up with
good morals and values by his mother (Tondi) and Gogo. “He has great respect for her
and also fear” pg 107.
● Tsotsi’s mother spoke of his dad and created a fantasy vision of him. Pg 110.
● The police arrested Tsotsi’s mother- note the violent and brutal treatment mentioned in
pg 112.
● His world of security was torn apart. With his mother arrested, his safety was gone.
● His mother told him to wait for her because she will come back. Pg 113.
● “But he waited. She had said she would come back.” Pg 114. The arrest of his mother is
a traumatic experience that left scars.
● A man enters the house and calls Tondi’s name but is informed that the police took her
that morning. Pg 117.
● Tsotsi then experienced the dog suffering. He sat there for hours and watched the dog
die.
● This was another traumatic event which led to him running away.
● In this chapter. Tsotsi recalls his childhood before his mom was taken, where they lived,
his mothers name and he remembers the anger of the man who came to visit his mother.
● “‘He one too’, someone exclaimed. ‘He’s like us.’” Pg119. This is when the street
orphans invite Tsotsi into their gang after he’s run away from home.
● There were 8 of them in the gang.
● In this chapter, the River is a symbol of rebirth as young David becomes Tsotsi.
● We are introduced to Petah who we met earlier in the novel as the man arrested by the
police who passed Tsotsi and called him David.
● Young David now lived in the pipes with the rest of the gang.
● “David listened without emotion” pg 121. He had become numb by his trauma and shut
off all his memories.
● The gang asks young David what his name is… “David…’, it said, ‘David! But no more!
He dead!” His identity as David/ his previous life has died. Pg 122.
● “In a life that was only a few hours old, they, the gang were the only memory,” pg 123.
The gang had now become his ‘family.’
● “Where’s Simon? he asked. No one answered. He was to learn that lesson also. The
lesson about questions that have no meaning.” Pg 123. This is where one of Tsotsi’s
rules develops. Not to ask questions of the past.
● The boys were chased away from an Indian man’s shop. As they ran off, he shouted and
called David a ‘tsotsi’. That’s when he decided, ‘My name, is Tsotsi.” Pg 123.
● Pg 124 is important because it describes all the lessons Tsotsi learnt from this gang.
● He learnt to watch for the weakness of sympathy.
● To never feel the pain you inflicted.
● And he had no use for memories.
● Tsotsi therefore shuts down his emotions, wipes out his past life and suppresses his
memories and emotions connected to them.
Chapter 10:
● Chapter 10 begins with knocking at the door. Tsotsi instinctively looks for his knife but
instead checks if the baby is still there (change in rule 1?).
● It was Die Aap outside his door.
● He was there to question where to go. “Where else do I go?” pg 126. Indicating that he
has no real life or home outside of the gang.
● Die Aap explains that Butcher had joined Buster’s gang but he did not follow. They were
together for two years as a gang and he remained loyal.
● The baby makes a noise but Die Aap pretends not to hear.
● Tsotsi makes the decision to end the gang when he says, “‘It’s finished.’” Pg 128.
● Die Aap leaves and Tsotsi is left with the baby. And the last paragraph of pg 128 shows
us how Tsotsi becomes more in touch with reality, his senses and what it means to be
alive.
● He (the baby) “has become the repository of Tsotsi’s past.” Meaning that the baby
triggers all Tsotsi’s childhood memories. Pg 129.
● He sympathizes for the baby and notices that the baby looks worse than ever but wants
the baby to ‘Stay alive.’ Pg 129.
● Tsotsi notices Miriam again and she then approaches the door but commands her by
saying “You will feed him again.” Pg 130.
● Tsotsi says that “He knew then that she wanted to come, that she had come prepared to
come”
● “He knew that firstly because of the ointment she smeared around the sore lips … There
were also clean clothes [that] came out of the blanket to clothe it.” Pg 130.
● Miriam fed the baby again.
● She asks what the baby’s name is and Tsotsi replies, “David.”
● She begs Tsotsi to give her the baby to look after. “Give him to me. He is sick. Give him
to me and I will take him and look after him.” Pg 131. But Tsotsi refuses and responds
with “He is mine” pg 133.
● He then proceeds to tell Miriam the story of how he got the baby (breaking another one
of his rules?) he goes into the past and starts the story over a few times and Miriam
listens patiently.
● The chapter ends with Tsotsi visiting the river where he lives with the gang in the pipes to
find out if these memories that were triggered in his mind actually happened in his life. “It
was true. The pipes were exactly as he remembered them.” Pg 134.
● Tsotsi questions what his future will hold and goes off to find Boston, knowing that he
might be able to provide an answer.

Chapter 11:
● Tsotsi finds Boston in a shebeen bossed by a woman named Marty.
● Marty identifies Tsotsi as “the one that did it” (beat Boston) pg 136.
● “‘He’s just pieces, she said. ‘Just pieces held together by dried blood, like something
broken.’” Pg 137.
● Tsotsi cardied Boston away in his arms. This shows his nurturing side.
● Boston realized Tsotsi was carrying him and fell to the ground because he was terrified
of him.
● In the last paragraph of pg 138, Tsotsi examines Boston clearly. He sees how thin
Boston is. That his ribs stuck out and his legs were out of proportion to the rest of his
body. His nose was a “clotted mass of blood and broken bone.” Pg 139.
● We then get insight into Boston’s background.
● “Walter ‘Boston’ Nguza. Born at Umtata,” pg 139.
● Boston attended school and then “the training college for teachers.” Pg 139.
● It is described how he excelled at the college in his first and second year and how proud
his mother was of him. It is also described that he had very little experience with the
ladies.
● In his third and final year, he was expelled for trying to rape a student.
● He goes on to explain that he didn’t do it. “I didn’t know that you went just so far and no
further.” Pg 141.
● He admitted that it was a mistake and since then, “he had an obsession with mistakes.”
Pg 141.
● “With himself Boston was honest, but to his mother he lied.” Pg 141. He was too afraid to
go home and was humiliated by the mistake he made. He wanted his mother to always
be proud of him.
● Boston met Johnboy and they made money by signing passes. Eventually, Johnboy was
caught and arrested.
● He met Marty which led to a relationship. Boston is described as decent and polite.
“Boston was the man with the brain, but also a coward who got sick and then drank for
days after a rough job. But he was a gentleman, Please and Thank you, and May I and
Would you like me to?” Pg 146.
● Boston was sickened by the murder of the night watchman of the block of flats (as he
was by Gumboots murder).
● Boston “turned on Marty” pg 146 and ended the relationship.
● Boston awakes and asks where he is. Tsotsi informs him and says “I need to speak with
you” pg 147.
● “I need to know things, Boston man.” Pg 148. Tsotsi is questioning his future and hoping
Boston has answers for him.
● “Boston looked at Tsotsi carefully… There were lights in those eyes. Where there had
been darkness there was something like light.” Pg 148.
● Tsotsi tells Boston about Morris and how he let him go instead of killing him.
● “He told him everything and it had been hard.” Pg 149. Tsotsi breaks one of his rules
again and opens up to Boston to try to find out why he acted the way he did and spared
Morris’ life.
● Refer to quote from Chapter 3,..“One day one day God help you that day. One day you
won’t know what to do what to do” pg 25. Tsotsi has now reached that day.
● “You are changing, Tsotsi.” “You mustn’t be frightened. It happens, man.” Pg 150.
● When Boston is being pressed to explain what all the experiences and discoveries
mean, Boston asks Tsotsi if he is asking him about God. “You are asking me about God.”
 ● Tsotsi had come a long way. He feels empathy. He has an inkling of what his childhood
was like. Light is brought into his inner darkness and he has a newfound capacity to feel
pity/compassion.

Chapter 12:
● This chapter begins with an introduction to Isaiah who is the caretaker of the church. He
maintains the grounds and rings the church bell.
● Isaiah is working in the gardens when Miss Marriot is patronizing towards him and
watches how he plants each seed.
● Isaiah is repulsed by her.
● “To an incredible extent a peaceful existence was dependent upon knowing just when to
say no or yes to the white man.” Pg 153.
● Father Eansome told Isaiah that “…the ringing of this bell is to call all other people to
believe in God.” Pg 155.
● Isaiah noticed Tsotsi under the bluegum near the gate.
● He stereotyped Tsotsi when he saw him describing his appearance as the “tsotsi type.”
Pg 156.
● Tsotsi questions Isaiah about God. “He’s got something to do with me. Tell me about
God, old man.” Pg 155.
● Isaiah responds by inviting Tsotsi to Church when he hears him ring the bell.
● Tsotsi then goes back home to ask Miriam to feed the baby again.
● Miriam explains to Tsotsi that she realizes that life must go on. She cannot wait around
for her husband anymore. “So Simon is dead, but I got my baby and there’s little David
too.” Pg 162.
● “Tomorrow comes and you got to live” pg 162.
● Tsotsi didn’t trust to leave the baby in her care. By the time it was nightfall he had
returned the baby to the ruins. Pg 163.
● Tsotsi corrects Miriam by saying “My name is David Madondo.” Pg 163.
● Tsotsi repeats this aloud. He has made peace with his past and found himself as David
again.
● “Peace my brother.” “Peace be with you” oh 163.
● Tsotsi heard the bulldozers and ran to protect the baby in the ruins. “He got there with
seconds to spare.” “Then it was too late for anything; and the wall came down on top of
him, flattening him into the dust.” Pg 164.
● Resolution: Tsotsi’s search for his true identity and meaning to his life ends with a final
sacrifice as he dies trying to save the baby. (Can be seen as his alter ego).
● Note: Isaiah is the name of a prophet. Tsotsi hears from Isaiah about God.
● Because he can refer to himself by his real name, this indicates that he has changed
and reclaimed his identity.