On Passivity, Impasse, and Nostalgia: An Analysis of Nthikeng Mohlele’s Selected Short Stories

This article concentrates on Nthikeng Mohlele’s short stories, as included in his two collections The Discovery of Love (2021) and A Little Light (2023). It is argued that Mohlele’s stories offer a distinct and original approach to South African literature through their nuanced psychological depiction of passivity, inaction, disappointment, and nostalgia. Rather than being plot-driven, the stories focus on the thoughts and feelings of their protagonists, exploring the reasons behind their inability or unwillingness to take action and regain agency in their lives. The protagonists’ sense of impasse can be interpreted against the background of South Africa's social, political, and economic situation, particularly the frustrations and disillusionments of the new dispensation. Mohlele’s stories display considerable psychological depth, as they shed light on the ambiguous, dynamic and, at times, contradictory motivations of their protagonists.