Character analysis of Theophilus Msimangu

Theophilus Msimangu is Stephen Kumalo’s host and guide in Johannesburg. He is a warm, generous, humble and young minister at the Mission House in Sophiatown. Msimangu has an acute understanding of the problems that face South Africa. He explains to Kumalo about the political and socioeconomic difficulties that the black population faces. He helps Kumalo understand the people and places that they encounter, and is unfailingly sympathetic to Kumalo, making Kumalo’s quest his top priority. He makes Kumalo’s time in Johannesburg bearable. He sometimes speaks unkindly, but he quickly repents. He gives Kumalo all of his worldly possessions and his eventual decision is to join a monastery as a final testament to the depth of his faith and generosity.