Miriam's role in the film is to represent motherhood and provide maternal care for the baby that Tsotsi stole. When Tsotsi follows her home, the film establishes her role as a homemaker caring for her own baby. She nurtures the stolen baby by breastfeeding and singing to him. By washing the baby further, she shows her maternal concern. Miriam also contrasts with Tsotsi as having a more gentle nature, shown through her mobiles representing sadness and happiness. The film suggests Tsotsi lacked a mother figure in his life. Overall, Miriam signifies the importance of motherhood for a child's development.

1. Gender – in a key sequence
First meeting with Miriam
Tsotsi follows Miriam home; her role in society is signalled by the fact that we have just seen her come
from the water tap and the fact that she has the baby tied to her back. In many African countries it’s the
role of the woman to be the homemaker and many young girls are kept home from school for this
reason.
A woman’s maternal instinct is explored in this scene and the fact that Tsotsi needs Miriam shows that
there are some things that a man can’t provide for a child, for example the provision of nourishment
through breastfeeding. The importance of this act is signified through the use of cinematography the
camera slowly zooms in as Miriam breastfeeds the baby and it’s tightly framed to show how Tsotsi is
also focusing on the maternal act. Miriam is naturally protective of her child and picks up a knife to
threaten Tsotsi she asks him not to hurt her baby.
The non violent way that Miriam is able to express her emotions could also be a representation of
gender; this is in juxtaposition to Tsotsi’s aggressive nature and is communicated through Miriam’s
explanation of her mobiles. One she made when she was sad, and is made from rusted metal and the
other she made when she was happy and was created using coloured glass.
This sequence also cuts to Pumla in hospital the mother of the baby, the juxtaposition of Miriam with
Pumla’s baby to the close up Pumla, links to two women to the theme of motherhood, the audience can
see from Pumla’s face the loss she feels from not having her child. This is made even more salient by the
way in which she talks about Tsotsi. Both women cry but not in a highly emotional state, they seem
controlled and reserved in the way that they show their distress, possibly showing an inner strength.
Miriam asks Tsostsi if she can wash the baby further showing her concern for the baby from a mother’s
points of view, as she washes the baby she sings and plays with it, the film cuts to Tsotsi’s mother on her
deathbed possibly signifying the fact that Tsotsi has had an absence of a mother figure in his life and
that a having a mother is important for a child
What is Miriam’s importance in the film?

2. Social Class – in a key sequence
The gang robs The Dube’s House
The Dube’s are clearly more prosperous and more well off than the citizens in Kliptown. They live in
what looks like a gated community in Johannesburg. Their house is protected by an iron gate and they
drive two executive cars a BMW and a Mercedes.
The interior of the house connotes wealth and is in complete opposition to the interior of Tsotsi’s hut
and thus shows the disparity between the two classes. A high angle shot of the dining area of the house
emphasises the size of the house, again allowing the audience to come to the conclusion that the Dube’s
are very well off, and that this is attributed to their social standing in society. In addition up until this
point we have always seen John in a suit this lends to him an air of respectability, something that cannot
be attributed to the young gang.
As the gang move around the house they all experience what it could possibly be like to have money and
a decent upbringing. Aap explores through food, and is excited about the options that lay in wait for him
in the Dube’s refrigerator. He even enters into a conversation about wine tasting with John and clearly
has no knowledge as he says he prefers beer. Butcher shows that he could never aspire to be like the
Dube’s as he ransacks their bedroom and shows no respects of their belongings. Tsostsi sits in the baby’s
bedroom and appears to be thoughtful of what it would have been like to grow up not having to face
adversity.
Social class is clearly represented through presenting to the audience the difference between the Dube’s
and people who live in Kliptown, the many diffrences that are presented to us stem from money.
Opening of the film – Kilptown?