Significance of Tsotsi’s name
Sometimes it is only pure light that can drive out abject darkness. This is a concept that is Athol
Fugard skillfully tries to illustrate in the novel,tsotsi,.Set in the Apartheid era , it takes us through a
man’s journey pointing out how such a system influences his actions and lifestyle driving him to
extreme actions for survival. However it also counters this through the exploration of reconciliation
,redemption and challenges the very core of human nature. This ultimately compels the reader to
question to what extent of transformation constitutes as reformation.
The main character of the story whose birth name was ‘David’ adopted the name ‘ Tsotsi’ as a
nickname he would be addressed by throughout the entirety of the novel. This name describes his
personality and correlates to the actions he performs in the novel before his journey to reformation.
In literal terms, his name directly translates to ‘thug’, which is significant as it carries a connotation of
violence, destruction, and dishonesty. All describing Tsotsi who was the leader of a gang infamous for
their assault, murder and theft and a character with a lack of humanity. His name becomes symbol of
his former self character, serving as a reminder of the person he was, his name motivates him to find
a path toward redemption and personal growth and becomes a catalyst for change
Tsotsi’s inability to demonstrate humanity and decency are due to the fact that he doesn’t know who
he is because he never allowed himself to find out .He is described in terms of shadows and
darkness. It is this very inner darkness that allows him to believe that as long as he lives in the
present, he doesn’t need to be accountable for his actions. Consequently, an intolerance of
questions which might help him unlock the person he was ground him in the sense that he doesn’t
have to confront the choices he makes. These notions help construction the façade as he continues
his life as a criminal with no moral, sense of upbringing and suppressed memories.
In the beginning of the novel Tsotsi never quite understood the concept of humanity and
acknowledging and respecting others, his past experiences and traumas caused him to develop a
hard outer shell,this shell caused him to become a cold-hearted person .It is also evident that Tsotsi’s
lack of upbringing ,in terms of having family to teach him decency and instil values was a leading
factor to his lack of Humanity. There were many occasions where Tsotsi lack of humanity could be
seen. The first was Tsotsi targeting a hardworking, innocent man called Gumboot Dhamini not only
did Tsotsi target this man to steal he (with the help of his fellow gang members )killed Gumboot.To
further justify his lack of humanity Tsotsi whispered an obscene remark about Gumboot’s mother in
Gumboot’s ear moments before he died to watch the joy wipe of off Gumboots face as his soul
drained form his body.
There is a huge contrast between Tsotsi at the beginning of the novel and Tsotsi at the end. Certain
events and people awakened the start of Tsotsi’s journey,his change, his road to redemption. The
first event is the moment Tsotsi mercilessly beat up Boston in Sookie’s shebeen. At that moment
Boston said the words ‘One day , one day God help you that one day you wont know what to do’.We
conclude that those words echo in Tsotsi’s mind because in the book they say: ‘he stopped with his
hands on his ears and his eyes shut he rolled from side to side but that didn’t help’
The baby.
However he’s natural gravitation towards moral indecency and numbness are greatly overpowered
by critical thought, importance of memory and spirituality put into action by certain events and
people e as the novel progresses .He starts to open himself up to self- exploration, seeking answers
and advice from boston as an attempt to to establish his former repressed identity as David. He for
once allows himself to express feelings of compassion and empathy toward the baby and morrris. He
makes an attempt to go to church in an effect too find peace and wholeness . These exchanges and
encounters gradually propel his process of personal development and reformation. we see him
allowing himself to be deeply affected by certain events he would never had admitted to before. He
proves that he has capacity for humanity and contrasts himself to his previous nature .He realizes
everything is affected by his choice. It is here that he confronts his traumatic past, sheds his life as
Tsotsi and heals and affirms who he really is.
From the onset to the very end of the novel, the author presents the very same person but with a
different character. From a life taker we see an life saver, from apathetic behavior we see someone
capable of genuinely feeling for somebody else. Instead of someone continuing in the life they have
been forced into we see someone who realizes that he has the power to choose his outcome. The
power of transformation is effectively displayed in the journey of Tsotsi to David. Fugard presents the
path of a real man on his path to full circle reformation, one whose light drove out his darkness in
the novel tsosti.