Isaiah Character Analysis

Isaiah, an elderly Black man, takes care of the church garden and rings the church bells for the Church of Christ the Redeemer in the Black township. His immediate supervisor is the racist, condescending Miss Marriot, while his ultimate supervisor is the Rev. Henry Ransome. Tsotsi, after discussing God with Boston, sits on the sidewalk outside the church, where Isaiah sees him and offers him tea. When Tsotsi asks questions about the church, God, and Jesus Christ, Isaiah gives him a somewhat confused account of Christianity and invites Tsotsi to come to the evening service when he hears Isaiah ringing the bells. Although the novel does not explicitly state this, it implies that Tsotsi takes Isaiah up on his invitation the night before Tsotsi’s death.