Tsotsi

by

Athol Fugard

A shebeen is a bar where alcohol is sold illegally, without the required license. In South African under apartheid, shebeens were often located in Black townships and run by women, like the Tsotsi characters Soekie and Marty. At various points in South Africa under apartheid, shebeens were associated with criminal gang activity but also with political activist meetings and Black/African cultural expression.

Shebeen Quotes in Tsotsi

The Tsotsi quotes below are all either spoken by Shebeen or refer to Shebeen. For each quote, you can also see the other terms and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Apartheid and Racism Theme Icon
).
Chapter 2 Quotes

[Tsotsi’s] own eyes in front of a mirror had not been able to put together the eyes, and the nose, and the mouth and the chin, and make a man with meaning. His own features in his own eyes had been as meaningless as a handful of stones picked up at random in the street outside his room. He allowed himself no thought of himself, he remembered no yesterdays, and tomorrow existed only when it was the present, living moment. He was as old as that moment, and his name was the name, in a way, of all men.

Related Characters: Tsotsi (David), Boston, Die Aap, Butcher, Gumboot Dhlamini, Soekie
Page Number: 20-21
Explanation and Analysis:

They stayed that way until the street cried, then laughter, and Soekie started her song again at the beginning, staying like that, Boston still, Tsotsi seemingly the same as always, the one in disbelief, the other at the explosive moment of action, and this moment precipitated when Boston whispered: ‘You must have a soul Tsotsi. Everybody’s got a soul. Every living human being has got a soul!’

Related Characters: Boston (speaker), Tsotsi (David), Die Aap, Butcher, Soekie
Page Number: 26
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 3 Quotes

The knife was not only his weapon, but also a fetish, a talisman that conjured away bad spirits and established him securely in his life.

Related Characters: Tsotsi (David), Boston
Related Symbols: Tsotsi’s Knife
Page Number: 36
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Tsotsi LitChart as a printable PDF.
Tsotsi PDF

Shebeen Term Timeline in Tsotsi

The timeline below shows where the term Shebeen appears in Tsotsi. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2
Apartheid and Racism Theme Icon
Hatred, Sympathy, and God Theme Icon
...dog.” Boston again demands to know what that proves. They are drinking at Soekie’s, a shebeen (that is, illegal drinking establishment) in the township. The police often close down shebeens in... (full context)
Chapter 10
Parents and Children Theme Icon
Identity and Memory Theme Icon
Hatred, Sympathy, and God Theme Icon
...as proof that his memories are correct. Afterward, he runs back home and enters a shebeen to ask after Boston. (full context)
Chapter 11
Identity and Memory Theme Icon
Boston has been lying unconscious or drinking in a shebeen run by a woman, Marty, since Tsotsi beat him up. When Tsotsi locates Boston there,... (full context)
Apartheid and Racism Theme Icon
Habit vs. Choice Theme Icon
...he and Johnboy are not similar people, but that doesn’t bother him. Boston goes to shebeens to think and drink until, without realizing it, he’s developed a drinking problem. (full context)
Parents and Children Theme Icon
Habit vs. Choice Theme Icon
At Marty’s shebeen, Boston meets another gang. One day, after Johnboy is arrested for the passbook business, Boston... (full context)
Identity and Memory Theme Icon
Hatred, Sympathy, and God Theme Icon
Habit vs. Choice Theme Icon
In the shebeen subculture, Boston gains a reputation as an intelligent but timid person who abuses alcohol “after... (full context)