The elderly woman lives with David and David’s mother (Tondi), though she does not seem to be related to them. David esteems the elderly woman because he notices that adults esteem her and because she seems to perceive him accurately. At the same time, he’s afraid of her because one time, she caught him misbehaving and pinched him until he cried. After David’s mother is arrested, the elderly woman finds David and puts him to bed. The next morning, she tells David to wait at the house for his father while she goes to look for David’s mother and tries to bring her home. While the elderly woman is gone, David’s father arrives at the house without explaining who he is and scares David so badly that David runs away, eventually becoming Tsotsi.
Get the entire Tsotsi LitChart as a printable PDF.
Elderly Woman Character Timeline in Tsotsi
The timeline below shows where the character Elderly Woman appears in Tsotsi. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 9
In a flashback, a child (David) listens to his mother hum with “warm security.” An elderly woman says his mother seems happy. His mother agrees and sings more loudly. David is on...
(full context)
The elderly woman asks, “What time tomorrow, my child?” The mother says, “He says to be here all...
(full context)
The mother asks David to bring the salt. While he’s fetching it, he hears the elderly woman ask whether he knows. His mother says yes, and the elderly woman asks what he...
(full context)
The elderly woman asks whether David looks like him. David’s mother says yes. The elderly woman calls David,...
(full context)
...fetch a mat. He gets it out. She gives him food to bring to the elderly lady , who pretends not to notice she’s taking it, because she lacks a family and...
(full context)
The elderly woman calls back to ask what’s the matter, comes into the room, and examines it. She...
(full context)
...morning and, for a moment, doesn’t remember the police have taken his mother. When the elderly woman offers him coffee, the memory comes back. He demands to know where his mother is....
(full context)
The elderly woman dresses and tells David she’s going to search for his mother. David says his mother...
(full context)
When the elderly woman leaves, David is terrified of meeting his father without his mother. He waits in bed...
(full context)
