Tension In 'He Lived Through Days Of Vast Silence, Tsotsi'

How the author used Gumboot's character to show tension

Fugard shows tension through Gumboot's character by building up the sense of danger as he reveals Gumboot's vulnerability throughout the story. Fugard explains how Gumboot's personality made him an easy and vulnerable target for Tsotsi. Gumboot is presented as a hard-working and decent man. The quote "He lived through days of vast silence, tramping along the road with the unending veld stretching away unseen on every side, tramping through clouds of dust left by the hurrying cars, always silent, very alone, but never without hope." makes the reader think he is of a decent character because he is going through a lot but does not give up hope. Tension is built here because although …show more content…
Gumboot's bright smile and cheery persona made him stand out from the dreary crowd and ultimately led to his downfall. The quote "Tsotsi noticed him because that smile was as bright as a light" creates tension because knowing Tstotsi's awful reputation, the reader understands that his intentions will be amiss. This makes the reader worry about what he will do to Gumboot as Tsotsi's motives are still unclear. The simile "bright as a light" accentuates Gumboot's decency and purity in contrast to Tsotsi's dark and cruel behaviour. Furthermore, Fugard divulges how ruthless and merciless Tstotsi is by showing that he can harm even an innocent and admirable man. This is highlighted by the fact that Tstotsi specifically looked for somebody who stood out and who looked happy for his next victim because he wanted to cause them harm and take away their happiness. Fugard writes "Tstotsi smiled at the growing bewilderment on the big bastard's face". This shows that Tsotsi enjoys causing people pain which makes him an even more dangerous criminal. This is further proof that Tsotsi does not just kill people for the money he steals off them, but also because he enjoys causing people pain. This creates tension for the rest of the book because now the reader knows how dangerous Tsotsi can be and is concerned about what crimes Tsotsi and his gang will …show more content…
Through these mistakes Fugard explains why Gumboot stood out to Tstotsi. This builds tension as the reader does not know why they are important yet or what Tstotsi is going to do to the man because of these mistakes. Slowly, Fugard builds the tension by counting down each mistake until the last one. This builds tension as the reader knows they are about to find out what happened to Gumboot. The quote "Gumboot had made three mistakes. Firstly, he smiled". This implies that even because of something so simple and innocent as smiling, Gumboot lost his life. The tension grows here as the reader becomes more confused as to why smiling is a bad thing and why Gumboot is being targeted, however they know something abominable is about to