“Tsotsi” – Athol Fugard

Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1

Tsotsi, Boston, Butcher and Die Aap sit around the Tsotsi’s room drinking beer in
silence, waiting for him to specify what job they will do that night. Tsotsi decides they
will head to the train station where their unsuspecting victim, Gumboot Ghalimini,
begins to head home to his wife. Tsotsi targeted Gumboot for three reasons: he
smiled, he wore a flaming red tie, and he bought his ticket with money from his pay
packet. After everyone does their part in the murder and robbery they leave
gumboots lifeless body on the train to be discovered by the other passengers.

Chapter 2

Tsotsi, Butcher, Boston, and Die Aap head to Soekie’s house after the murder to
have a few drinks. As they start drinking they begin to talk about Boston getting sick
and throwing up during the murder of Gumboot. Boston claims that the only reason
he got sick and the others didn’t was because he has decency unlike the rest of
them. As the conversation advances Die Aap and butcher take Rosie, a girl who was
also in Soekie’s house, outside to rape her. When the others leave Boston begins to
question Tsotsi about what he feels. This breaks one of Tsotsi’s rules: never ask
questions. Tsotsi begins to get irritated by all the questions about Tsotsi’s personal
life. Tsotsi eventually has enough and brutally beats Boston leaving him in Soekie’s
place beaten half to death.

Chapter 3

After beating Boston, Tsotsi leaves the she been and takes a walk through the
street. As he walks he begins to have a flashback, he sees a boy named Petah
being taken away by the police, as he is being taken away he looks down the street
and recognizes Tsotsi as David, his name before he changed it to Tsotsi. Tsotsi
does not acknowledge the fact that Petah recognized him and just continues his
game of dice. As Tsotsi lay under a tree he begins to hear what he recognizes as
footsteps, as he hears them come closer and closer he moves to get a better
vantage point and sees a young woman as. As he studied her more he began to
recognize the symptoms of fear and sees that she was carrying a small parcel and
kept checking over her shoulder. Tsotsi grabs her by one arm and swings her into
the darkness of the trees, as he pins her against the tree she takes the parcel and
thrusts it into the hands of Tsotsi and runs off. The lid slips off and Tsotsi finds
himself looking at the face of a young baby boy.
Chapter 4

Tsotsi heads straight to Cassim’s shop in search of milk for the baby, before he gets
courage to go up and talk to Cassim he exits and renters the store multiple times
waiting for it to empty. Nervously Cassim sends his wife into the back room to round
up their children in case Tsotsi tries to mug them, Tsotsi goes up to the counter and
asked to buy some milk. After buying the condensed milk Tsotsi takes the baby back
to his room to clean it and feed it, after the baby is all clean and fed he takes him to
the ruins to hide him. After hiding the baby in the ruins Tsotsi begins to remember
the “yellow bitch,” the dog that he had when he was a kid. Tsotsi just broke one of
his three rules: never ask questions about the past.

Chapter 5

Gumboot Dhlamini is buried and the pastor who is doing his burial is sorely troubled
after burying another man whose name no one knows. Boston awakes from his state
of unconsciousness and moves for the first time in almost a day. Butcher and Die
Aap begin to talk about Tsotsi beating Boston and begin to wonder what the future
holds for their gang. Tsotsi, Butcher and Die Aap find each other and begin to do
what they do on any other night, sit around and drink waiting for Tsotsi to make the
decision of what job they will do. Without Boston’s stories conversation ended rather
quickly and Tsotsi decides they will head into the city tonight.

Chapter 6

Tsotsi, Butcher, and Die Aap wait for the shadows to become long enough so that
when they are they can head to terminal place. When they get to terminal place
Tsotsi steps on Morris Tshabalala’s – a crippled man who lost his legs in a work
accident – hand and decides that he will be his target tonight. As Morris continues on
his way home he realizes that Tsotsi is following him, he hopes that if he continues
on his way he will lose Tsotsi before he has to go through the dark part of his
journey. He stops for some food at the Bantu house and then continues on his way.
As he gets to the dark part of his journey he realizes that even though he feels like a
“half-man” he does want to live. He leaves his money in a pile underneath a light
hoping Tsotsi would just take the money and leave him alone. When Tsotsi kicks the
money and continues walking towards Morris he begins to throw rocks and shout
insults in order to defend himself.
Chapter 7

As Tsotsi followed Morris he began to realize that he crawls like the “yellow bitch”
used to, dragging his body around since he doesn’t have any legs. Tsotsi confronts
Morris in the street and tells him that he feels for him, after he does this Morris tells
him why he wants to live. After he tells Tsotsi all the reasons he wants to live he
confronts him about why Tsotsi has to kill him. Tsotsi then realizes that he doesn’t
have to kill him and that it’s he is able to choose to let him live. Tsotsi then decides
he will find out who he is and what happened in his past.

Chapter 8

Boston awakes to the sound of church bells begins to think about his faith in God.
Tsotsi returns to the ruins to find the baby covered head to toe in ants and instead of
leaving it he cleans the ants off the baby. We then are taken to Waterworks square
where a young mother by the name of Miriam Ngidi waits in the long line to get to the
tap. Miriam is a single mother because one day her husband, Simon, left and never
returned. Tsotsi takes her to his room and forces her to feed the baby. Miriam feeds
and cleans off the baby.

Chapter 9

Tsotsi begins to remember his past, he begins to see his old home and how happy
he was living with his mother. Eventually the flashback leads him to the events that
happened on the day that his mother was taken to jail. As he father returns after
being away from the family for a long time he becomes furious when he finds out his
wife has been taken to prison. During the outrage the father kicks the dog breaking
its back, the dog then gives birth to a litter of pups who soon die. David then runs
away from home where he is welcomed to the river gang which is lead buy a boy
named Petah. He then decides to abandon his identity and start his life under the
new name Tsotsi.

Chapter 10

Die Aap visits Tsotsi to ask about the next job, Tsotsi tells him that the gang has
been disbanded and that he would no longer be doing the jobs that they used to. Die
Aap leaves after him and Tsotsi hear the baby cry. Tsotsi then takes out the baby;
staring at it he finally realizes that the baby is helping him remember his past. Miriam
comes to Tsotsi’s room to feed the baby and later asked Tsotsi if she can have him
because she would be able to take care of him best. Tsotsi won’t let her take the
baby because he is Tsotsi’s baby. Tsotsi tells Miriam that the babies name was
David and that he was notches father but David belonged to him. Miriam leaves and
gives Tsotsi some milk for the baby, Tsotsi takes David back to the ruins and begins
to wonder where Boston was and leaves to go and find him.
Chapter 11

Tsotsi eventually finds Boston passed out of the floor of a bar. Tsotsi helps him up
and carries him back to his house to take care of him. Fugard begins to reveal to us
the life that Boston has lead, how he was mistakenly expelled from college, how he
illegally sold fake passbooks to people and then how a guy as smart as he became a
part of the gang. As Boston awakes Tsotsi begins to tell him about his experience
with Morris and asks him questions about how he is changing. Boston tells him that
they are all sick of life and seek God. Boston then leaves in search of his mother.

Chapter 12

Isaiah sits in the church garden planting flowers where Tsotsi, who was on his way to
seek redemption from God, finds him he explains how he works for God and that
when he rings the church bell it calls to all the other people who believe in god and
invites him back next time the bells ring to find God. Tsotsi then finds Miriam again to
feed the baby. As she feeds the baby Tsotsi realizes that mothers really do love their
children and that in order for you to move into the future you have to let your past go.
Miriam then asks him to let her have the baby again but, he does not leave the baby
with her because he doesn’t quite trust her yet. After he goes to church Tsotsi then
decides that he will go back to his childhood name, David Mondondo. As he heads
back to the ruins he hears bulldozers taking down the walls, he runs into the building
only focused on one thing, finding the baby. He runs straight to the corner where the
baby lay, where he and the baby would be crushed by the ceiling. The workers who
recover his body minutes later agree that his smile was beautiful and strange for a
Tsotsi.
Character Analysis
Tsotsi

We know Tsotsi as a street thug in Johannesburg, South Africa during apartheid.

As a boy Tsotsi was innocent and content, living as a victim of apartheid. When his
mother was taken from him he was left alone to witness his father come home and
upon realizing the house was empty, he lashed out on the dog, paralyzing its back
legs and killing the litter. This scarred Tsotsi and pushed him to flee home and
eventually get taken in by Petah’s gang. This gang changed his identity; he became
Tsotsi after several days with the gang participating in crime. He states: “My name is
Tsotsi.” This transformation from an innocent boy to a hardened young man has
resulted in him living a life of robbery, rape and murder. He no longer has a use for
past memories and his conscious no longer exists. He creates three rules: rule of the
working moment (always be able to see his knife), never disturb his inward darkness,
tolerate questions from no others. These rules are what allow him to survive as
Tsotsi and have no need to become David again.

He becomes the leader of a gang who commit crimes in order to survive. As the
story progresses his three rules diminish and through interactions with others he
changes from Tsotsi back to David. Our first impression of Tsotsi is that he is a
violent man who is well respected within his gang. He beats Boston because he
attempts to break one of his rules – don’t ask questions – which is the only way he
knows how to handle threats.

After fleeing, Tsotsi is given the baby by a woman who he first intended to rape. This
baby will act as the catalyst for his journey of self-discovery. He cares for the baby
and shortly after hiding it in the ruins he goes out to find a victim. Tsotsi stalks Morris
planning to kill and rob him, however; as Tsotsi stalks him he is given time to reflect
and begins to build a sympathy for Morris because the baby has changed his value
for life, he learned how to care feel compassion. Morris also reminds him of the dog
who was powerless in a similar situation. The sympathy he attains is translated to
when he and Morris interact and he decides to let him live, as Morris explains he
must. Not only has Tsetse’s outlook changed but Morris now values his own life as
well which he explains to Tsotsi. Their exchange also leaves Tsotsi with the belief
that he must value the little things in life in order to become redeemed.

After this interaction, Tsotsi goes home and finds the baby in poor condition covered
in ants – realizing it needs a mothers and care – he observes the line-up for water
trying to pick a woman who would suffice. He decides on Miriam and at first she is
reluctant to help, he must threaten the life of her own child, showing he hasn’t fully
changed as a man. In their subsequent interactions Tsotsi no longer has to
intimidate her to receive her help nourishing the baby. In their final interaction – after
Tsotsi comes back from meeting Isaiah – she opens up to him, explaining how her
husband is dead and she accepts that she must move on. This belief transfers to
Tsotsi and resonates within him. From her belief he understands that you can’t let
you past determine your future and you must continue on living despite past
influences. This is his next step towards redemption, as it allows him not to dwell on
the mistakes of his past. This understanding makes it possible for him to realize he
can leave his past lifestyle behind.

Before his final interaction with Miriam Tsotsi took Boston to his house and
nourished him like a mother, giving him milk and bread. Tsotsi asks Boston similar
questions that resulted in Boston getting beaten in the outset of the novel. This is the
moment where Tsotsi leaves his rules behind him and his only desire is to seek out
answers to the questions he has been asking himself. Boston explains that everyone
is sick from life – living in Apartheid – and that in order to further pursue the answers
to his questions, he needs to find God. This leads Tsotsi to Isaiah who teaches him
more about God and what he can do for you. He explains to Tsotsi what sins are and
the consequences for them. He tells Tsotsi that in order to further understand God
he must attend church. Tsotsi agrees to this, showing me truly intends to do
whatever he can to pursue his goal of redemption.

These events collectively influence Tsotsi to become David again, a human with a
soul. No longer is a murderous Tsotsi but a compassionate and loving young man.
These new values are what drive him to attempt to save the baby at the end. His
instinct of killing has evidently shifted to an instinct of saving lives without hesitation.
When their bodies are discovered he has a smile on his face showing that he has no
regrets and is pleased with who he has become. This is the ultimate sacrifice in life
and the final step for Tsotsi to attain full redemption from past sins, becoming David
– a new, admirable man.

Minor Characters

Miriam

Miriam is an eighteen year old with a young baby, just like little David. Like many other
young women in South Africa, Miriam has been abandoned by her husband – Simon – and
left with a child to care for all on her own. Tsotsi’s mom and the lady who gave the baby to
Tsotsi have been put in the same situation and she is our symbol for them. Gumboot also left
his pregnant wife. Through a strict plot context we know Miram as the lady who feeds little
David for Tsotsi. With a deeper look in we can gather she again is shown as on overall
symbolic mother, nurturing and nourishing not only baby David but her own son too. She
performs these mother like acts to Tsotsi also and teaches him how to love again. She is like
Mother Mary. She shows Tsotsi that we mustn’t live in the past and need to move on in life
and never give up.

Baby

The baby is introduced relatively early through Tsotsi receiving it in the bluegumtrees by a
frightened woman who he intended to rape. As the plot progresses we come to see, the baby
is a catalyst for Tsotsi’s self-discovery. The baby represents innocence, kindness, and the
positives of human nature just like David, who Tsotsi was prior to becoming a thug. Tsotsi
recognized that and names the baby after his past self. The baby helps Tsotsi towards
becoming David again through teaching him simple life lessons such as caring, nurturing and
responsibility for others. Tsotsi nurtures the baby with milk and cleans the baby which proves
this new compassionate outlook. At the end of the book when David Mondondo sacrifices his
own safety for that of the baby, he is actually saving himself. By his efforts to save the baby
his instincts have changed from violence – like a street thug – to compassion – like a mother,
saving his humanity. The ultimate redemption of becoming David again.

Butcher

Like all black males living in South Africa at the time, Butcher is a victim of Apartheid.
These men take all means to survive and we see this expressed in the way Butcher lives his
day to day life in the gang. To them he is the killer – he never misses a strike and is the go-to
man when the job needs to get done. Violence is the way he has learned to survive because it
is the only way he can. He is a direct product of his environment. To Tsotsi, Butcher isn’t
much but a person in his gang who is a skillful and ruthless killer.

Die Aap

Die Aap like all the others characters we are introduced to is a symbol of Apartheid in South
Africa. Their personal, actions, values and tendencies have been crafted by the oppression
they have faced from the government. Die Aap is also a very loyal character, he wants the
gang to stay together when Tsotsi is speaking of them to split, they are his brotherhood and
he would sacrifice for them. This is shown how even if violent, ruthless and uncivil what the
gang may be doing, he will participate in their actions and help their crime because they are
all he knows. Die Aap is very strong and has long arms, reflected in his name. He doesn;t
mean much to Tsotsi, he is just a gang member. Die Aap doesn’t play a huge role in the
understanding of the novel other than when he is the one who Tsotsi officially tells that the
gang is over.

Morris

Morris a crippled, he lost his legs six years ago in a mineshaft collapse. He has lost his
dignity and is ashamed of the way he must get his money in order to survive – begging. He
believes he is a half-man. When Tsotsi’s gang goes to the city, Tsotsi decides he will kill
Morris; however, he feels sympathy for the cripple because he reminds him of the yellow
bitch. Morris is a catalyst for Tsotsi to remember the dog. He is also a symbol for South
Africa, due to the fact that he is a crippled man, much like South Africa. Morris helps the
reader understand and see the pivotal moment within Tsotsi and the shift that Tsotsi
experiences throughout the story. Morris shows Tsotsi the value of the little things in life and
shows Tsotsi that he can make choices. Morris does not have any other influential moment
within the text other than the interactions that he has with Tsotsi. With his reactions he
creates and helps Tsotsi develop the ability to show decency and allows Tsotsi to make
choices that affect others, rather than just himself.

Boston

Boston is the “brains” of the group. He went to university but didn’t complete it
because he was accused of raping a fellow student. This sent him down his path of
resorting to crime for survival as he had no other way to make ends meet. He is a
very knowledgeable character and always tells stories to the group when they aren’t
out stalking prey. He is constantly asking Tsotsi questions – which go against
Tsotsi’s last two rules – and these questions being to make Tsotsi hate Boston. In
the outset of the novel Tsotsi beats Boston because of these questions and he
accuses Tsotsi of having no decency. This influences Tsotsi’s decisions throughout
the book. At the end of the novel Tsotsi seeks Boston out and cares for him in order
to try and discover answers to similar questions that Boston was asking earlier.
Boston acts as a catalyst for Tsotsi’s search for god. He explains to Tsotsi that he
must seek out god to get more answers and tells Tsotsi that everyone is “sick from
life.” Not only does he help Tsotsi understand what he must do to seek further
redemption but the exchange they have also makes Boston realize he must go back
home to seek redemption from his mother.

Isaiah

Isaiah and Tsotsi meet at a church near the end of the story and engage in a short yet life
changing conversation for Tsotsi. In the bible Isaiah is an 8th century prophet ( inspired
teacher or proclaimer of the will of god ) and in the book he teaches Tsotsi of god, he tells
Tsotsi of what will happen because of sin and that god is inside the church. Although we
know this isn’t in fact true, Tsotsi believes that he is and it engages his interest of attending
the church even more. Tsotsi has been looking for god and that is why he went to Boston,
Isaiah is his door to god. Tsotsi is invited back to the church and if it wasn’t for the baby in
the ruins the next day, he would have returned. Isaiah allows Tsotsi to understand the
possibilities of Christianity brings.
Motif/Symbolism
Motif

Watching: At the beginning of the novel the purpose of Tsotsi’s watching is to stalk. He is in
a predator role, like that of Gumboot and Morris, and he watches in order to know how he
must react in a physical manner – what he must do in the situation. As the novel moves on
and develops, he watches to learn, he watches to change himself internally, it is a self
motivation to find himself like when we watches Isaiah.

In terms of connecting the motif of watching to themes of survival and redemption…

Survival – Tsotsi watches to see how others behave, how they deal with situations. This is
key in the survival of Tsotsi because with this analazyation/learning he can decide how to
react in a beneficial way to himself. In the outset of the novel Tsotsi watches so he can
survive physically in order to stay alive. Near the end he watches so he can regain his soul.

ex. Tsotsi watches the Petah gang steal and rob in the streets and how thy act, he picks up on
this behavior and it is an essential part in how he starts to live out his life, surviving on the
streets by a rough lifestyle full of robber and killing innocent others.

Later on…

ex. Tsotsi watches Isaiah before their interaction because he is curious about god to seek out
answers.

Redemption – Tsotsi watches others before he even interacts with them, Morris and Isaiah.
By watching them he learns something about them and in turn about himself. He also takes
values and beliefs from them to impliment in his own life. This relates to redemption because
as Tsotsi learns more about himself he can find who he really is, his past self David.

Relation to conflict …

Conflict

– Watching helps Tsotsi through numerous conflicts throughout the novel. By watching he
makes his decisions on how to act to resolve the current conflict he is facing.

While watching Morris, Tsotsi is able to reflect on his current situation. He is contemplating
whether or not he should kill the cripple. His hours of watching instead of killing him earlier
allows him time to thoroughly consider what he is intending to do although the decision to
not kill Morris comes once they have talked. The watching of Morris has given him time to
become sympathetic for Morris and to engage in conversation instead of taking his money
and life.

While watching Miriam at the water spout as she waits to fill her flagon he is faced with the
conflict of needing to feed his baby. Through watching he is able to pick out who would be
the best fit to do this for him. He is able to pick out Miriam, who has a child of her own, who
will surely be a good fit.
While watching Isaiah Tsotsi is facing the conflict of wanting to find god and answers. As he
watches Isaiah he has time to think of what he wants to ask and even though Isaiah starts the
conversation Tsotsi has been waiting and watched him up until this point. He doesn’t leave
because he is motivated to get these answers to resolve his internal conflict which is
ultimately becoming decent.

Through watching and observing others, Tsotsi takes values and beliefs from each which
pushed him closer to becoming who he really is and who he was before he became a thug,
that is David.

Motif Quotes

” Tsotsi watched her from under the trees. Without realizing it his heart began to beat
faster. It was almost perfect … His hands were ready.” Page 40

” Tsotsi watched him, vaguely uneasy at first, more so when the man saw him and
his face lit up with recognition.” Page 37

” The man was standing in the doorway of a shop, and he was watching the cripple
now with frank and open interest.” Page 187

” David watched the sky again through the opening … David watched all the time.”
Page 167

” but even so he looked back twice on the way in case she has hidden somewhere
and was following him.” Page 183

” The two men looked at eachother in the wan light … there was fear in Boston.”
Page 201

“She opened her eyes and found Tsotsi staring at her.” Page 222

” Time enough even to look, & then finally to remember. ” Page 225

” Tsotsi kept well back after that, and from the darkness of a doorway he watched
the cripple enter the Bantu Eating House.” Page 105

” The young man looked at Isaiah carefully.” Page 215

Symbols –

The Dog: represents his past, Tsotsi is the dog. It also represents the crippled
apartheid system that South Africa is faced with. The dog allows Tsotsi to compare
Morris to his past and help his decision to let him live.

Light and dark:

Light is the kind, compassionate, caring and thoughtful side of the story

Dark represents the bad, murderous, ruthless and violent aspect of the text
The story begins in the darkness when Tsotsi is still a thug who kills and robs with
his gang but as the story progresses and he moves closer and closer to becoming
David we see more light appear in his life. In the dark is where he commits acts of
violence such as almost raping the baby who gave him the baby, he stalks Morris in
the dark and Rose was raped by his gang in the dark too. Light is shown wen Tsotsi
decides to let Morris live ( they are under the lamp post ), we also see it when he
confronts Boston after beating him only two days before, it is during dark when the
beating occurs and light when Tsotsi meets up with him again. Finally when Tsotsi
attempts to save the baby at the end, Sunnis shining down on him when he is
recovered. The transition as the books moves from beginning to end is very clear
and we can see how the two symbols represent what they do

Ruins:

Represent South Africa and the situation as a whole for the blacks under Apartheid.
The blacks begins to have a tougher life, with way less rights and privileges then
whites. They were poor and lived in run down townships. The whites held no care or
concern for them, no desire to give them a respectable life. Just like how no one has
care for the ruins in the novel. These blacks life were in ruins. They were viewed as
inferior just like if you saw a rundown building, you wouldn’t see it as nice as a house
standing tall, kept good care of.

Water:

The water supple that man people are lines up for in the story is a symbol of life.
Water is essential in the survival of a human being and without it you will eventually
perish. It shows us how desperate blacks under Apartheid are for the most basic
necessity. They are lines up for the ability to continue on. Lined up for life.

Baby:

The baby is a symbol of renewal, rebirth and redemption, focused on Tsotsi. It is the
catalyst to change Tsotsi back to the person he once was, David. Tsotsi sees himself
within the child and it triggers the pursuit of cleansing and redemption within his life.
The baby is Tsotsi also; it is what he represents when he is David, innocence, kind-
heartedness and youth. In attempting to save the baby at the end he is actually
saving himself from the thug life he was living.
Themes
Survival – At the beginning of the novel, survival is attained in a savage and
animalistic way. To survive Tsotsi kills and ribs innocent people in order to get
money. As the story develops, so does the theme of survival. It becomes less of a
physical survival and shifts to an emotional and spiritual survival. Not only does
Tsotsi save himself but others too, he gives them hope. In saving others Tsotsi
saves himself & his conscious. Examples are shown through the secondary
characters or Morris and Boston and MIRAM. When Tsotsi lets Morris live after
hours of stalking him, he saved Morris from his ultimate fear of death & saves his
own kind-hearted personality, taking one step closer to becoming his old self, David.
Tsotsi saves a Boston from death, by nourishment, like a mother figure. After beating
him only two days before because he asked questions. Along with taking care of the
man, Tsotsi is also asking questions to Boston about life. Tsotsi has abandoned one
of his rules that made him the thug he is. These actions show that Tsotsi is
becoming a new man, regaining and saving his soul. Fugard wants us to understand
that survival is not only your physical presence but the mental state of yourself. You
can be alive but your respect for others, positive attitude and kind-heartedness is
diminished then you are dead as a soul.

Redemption – At the outset of the novel Tsotsi is in a state of sin with his gang but
through interactions with other he can redeem himself back to the young innocent
boy he once was, David. Through caring for Boston, Tsotsi asks him question
pertaining to life in general. This nurturing and discussion allow Tsotsi to redeem
himself to not only Boston but himself. Boston now knows Tsotsi is trying to fix
himself and become a better person, therefore gaining respect for him. Next since
Boston told Tsotsi he is looking for god, Tsotsi goes to the church and finds Isaiah,
through their interaction Tsotsi learns more of God & what he and Christianity can do
for you. Tsotsi agreed to return to the church later for a session. This shows us
Tsotsi moving away from his state of sin and again moving closer to becoming
David. Through these interactions Tsotsi is walking the road of redemption and
becoming David. The final act of attains redemption is when Tsotsi attempts to save
the baby at the end of the book. At the beginning of the novel Tsotsi was a life taker
and by the end he moves to a life saver showing us the full circle redemption. The
author wants us to learn that although you may commit acts that are uncivil or
incorrect you can always redeem yourself if you choose so. Tsotsi made the choice
to interaction with the people he did, he wanted to become David. Fugard knows if
it’s possible for him, it is for anyone.

Decency– We are first introduced to decency at the beginning g of the novel when
Tsotsi beats up Boston because Boston asks him questions about decency, referring
to Tsotsi having none. Tsotsi doesn’t know how to answer and he feels insecure,
which causes him to lash out on Boston. Violence like this along with killing is what
causes Tsotsi and his gang to lose their decency all together. Boston later points out
that they have become sick, from life, from the lifestyle that they have participated in,
lacking decency. As the story progresses Tsotsi learns he can attain decency in his
life. He learns this again through the seminal moments throughout the novel. Morris
is a huge interaction for Tsotsi. As the two talk and eventually Tsotsi allows Morris to
live, Tsotsi does this because he recognizes that Morris too has a valuable life and
this is an enormous step in attaining decency towards others. Tsotsi also attains
decency in his life through another important moment, remembering his past. When
Tsotsi takes in the full memory of the boy he used to be, he remembers what his life
was like before he turned into a savage. Although the memory may not have been
the most positive it gives him a target of who he needs to become again & this
person is decent. Fugard wants us to learn that even the most lost, darkest human
can turn their life around and become a new person with new values.
Vocabulary
Amalgam: a mixture or blend

Anemone: Any of various plants belonging to the genus Anemone, of the buttercup
family, having petal like sepals and including several wild species with white flowers
as well as others cultivated for their showy flowers in a variety of colors.

Apartheid: A rigid policy of segregation of the non-white population

Argot: the special vocabulary and idiom of a particular profession or social group

Baleful: Full of menacing or malign influences; pernicious

Blasphemy: Act of cursing or reviling God

Decency: conformity to the recognized standard of propriety, good taste, modesty,

etc.

Despondent: Feeling or showing profound hopelessness, dejection,

discouragement, or gloom

Discordant: being at variance; disagreeing

Dregs: the most worthless part or parts or something

Elation: A feeling or state of great joy or pride; exultant gladness; high spirits

Evoke: To call up or produce (memories, feelings, etc.)

Facade: The front of a building, especially an imposing or decorative one

Guillotine: A device for beheading someone by means of a heavy blade that is

dropped between two posts serving as guides: widely used during the French
revolution

Hawker: Person who offers goods for sale by shouting his or her wares in the street
or going from door to door; peddler

Heedless: Careless; thoughtless; unmindful

Impunity: exemption or immunity of punishment

Innumerable: Incapable of being counted; very numerous

Interminable: Incapable of being terminated: unending

Masochistic: Gratified by pain, degradation, deprivation, etc., inflicted on oneself

either bye one’s own actions or the actions of others
Malodorous: Having an unpleasant or offensive odor; smelling bad

Mirth: Gaiety or jollity, especially when accompanied by laughter

Monotony: Wearisome uniformity or lack of variety, as in occupation or scenery

Nullity: state of being null; nothingness; invalidity

Ponderous: Of great weight; heavy; massive

Proletariat: working class people

Proprietor: The owner of a business establishment, a hotel, etc.

Quicksilver: used a metaphor to indicate something is fast and slippery

Shebeen: A tavern or house where liquor is sold illegally

Surreptitious: Acting in a stealthy way; secret or unauthorized

Tarpaulin: A protective covering of canvas or other material waterproofed with tar,

paint, or wax

Township: A suburb or city of predominantly black occupation, formerly officially

designated for black occupation by apartheid legislation

Tsotsi: A black street thug or gang member

Vehemence: The quality of being vehement; ardor; fervor

Veld: The open country, bearing grass, bushes, or shrubs, or thinly forested,
characteristic of parts of southern Africa
Tsotsi (Novel) Plot Summary
Plot
Chapter 1:

● Tsotsi, Boston, Die Aap, Butcher sit talking in Tsotsi’s room

● They walk down the street
● Gumboot Dhlamini is murdered by Butcher and others on the train

Chapter 2:

● Boys drink at Soekie’s place: discuss why Boston was sick

● Boston & Die Aap go outside to rape Rosie
● Tsotsi beats Boston

Chapter 3:

● Tsotsi goes for a long walk. He remembers seeing a boy called ‘Petah’
● Tsotsi grabs passing woman in woods & is left holding baby in shoebox

Chapter 4:

● Tsotsi goes to Cassim’s shop several times before buying some milk
● Tsotsi cleans and feeds baby in his room
● Tsotsi goes to ruins to hide baby
● Flashback: Tsotsi remembers night before, being given baby & memory of ‘yellow bitch’

Chapter 5:

● Gumbot Dhlamini is buried

● Boston wakes & puts trousers on
● Butcher & Die Aap talk/wait outside T’s room, then Tsotsi arrives & decides they will go to
city

Chapter 6:

● Description of city.
● Tsotsi steps on Morris Tshabalala’s hand.
● MT remembers mine accident & afterwards while trying to escape Tsotsi. who seems to be
following.
 ● MT speaks to newspaper man.
● MT sees people with car.
● MT goes to cafe. Is followed by Tsotsi.

Chapter 7:

● Flashback to events of evening from Tsotsi’s point of view, including conversation with
Morris Tshabalala
● Tsotsi walks back to township, thinking.

Chapter 8:

● The church bell rings and Boston hears it.

● Tsotsi discovers ants
● Waterworks Square / Miriam Ngidi described
● Tsotsi forces Miriam to feed the baby
● Tsotsi sits in his room thinking & remembering

Chapter 9:

● Flashback: Tsotsi’s past with mother:

● Tsotsi with mother
● T’s mother taken to jail
● An old woman speaks to T
● His father returns
● Dog gives birth to stillborn litter and dies
● T meets river gang and sleeps in pipe

Chapter 10:

● Die Aap visits Tsotsi

● T looks after baby
● Miriam comes to T’s room
● T visits the pipes

Chapter 11:

● T takes Boston back to his room

● Fugard retells Boston’s life story
 ● Boston wakes & talks to T, then runs away.

Chapter 12:

● Isaiah plants in the church garden, overseen by Miss Marriot

● Tsotsi talks to Isaiah
● Tsotsi takes the baby to Miriam, then takes it back to the ruins
● Tsotsi hears the bulldozers and runs to rescue the baby.
● Tsotsi and the baby are crushed.