Once Upon a Time by Nadine Gordimer

Nadine Gordimer’s “Once Upon a Time” is a short story about fear, insecurity, racism, social division and the danger of trying to protect ourselves too much. Nadine Gordimer was a famous South African writer and a strong critic of apartheid, the system of racial separation that existed in South Africa for many years. In the story, she uses the form of a fairy tale to talk about a serious social and political reality. The title “Once Upon a Time” sounds like the beginning of a simple children’s story, but the story gradually becomes frightening and tragic. Gordimer uses this contrast to show that a society that looks safe and comfortable on the outside may actually be full of fear, prejudice and violence. The story begins with the narrator talking about herself. She says that someone has asked her to write a fairy tale for children. She is not comfortable with this idea because she does not normally write fairy tales. One night, while she is in her house, she hears some strange sounds. She becomes afraid that somebody may have entered her house. Later, she realises that there is no real intruder and that the sounds were probably caused by ordinary things in the house. This beginning is important because it introduces the main idea of the story—fear. The narrator is frightened even when there is no actual danger. After this, she begins to tell the story of a family who are also constantly afraid of danger.

The family in the story is a rich and comfortable white family living in South Africa. The family consists of a husband, wife and their little son. They have a beautiful house and a comfortable life. They also have a dog and a cat. At first, everything seems peaceful and happy. The parents love their son and want to keep him safe. However, they are constantly worried about burglars, criminals and people who might enter their house. They hear about robberies and violence happening in other places and begin to think that the same thing could happen to them. Their fear slowly becomes stronger. They start taking more and more steps to protect their house and their possessions. The family first installs ordinary security measures such as locks, burglar bars and alarms. These measures seem reasonable because they want to protect their home. However, the important point is that they are never satisfied. Whenever they hear about a new danger, they add another security measure. They become increasingly suspicious of people outside their protected area. The family does not try to understand the people they fear. Instead, they simply believe that the outside world is dangerous. Their house slowly changes from a home into a kind of fortress. The family thinks that more walls and more security will make them safer, but actually these things make them more frightened and isolated. The family’s fear is closely connected with the social situation of apartheid South Africa. At that time, South African society was divided mainly according to race, with white people enjoying greater political, economic and social privileges than black people. The white family in the story lives in a protected and privileged area, while the people outside their world are seen as possible threats. Gordimer does not give a long explanation of apartheid. Instead, she shows it through the family’s behaviour. The walls around the house represent the larger walls that separated different groups of people in South African society. Therefore, the story is not only about one family. It represents a society where people live separately because of race, class and fear. As the family becomes more afraid, they continue to increase their security. Finally, they build a high wall around their property. They then put a dangerous security device with sharp, razor-like blades around the top of the wall. They believe that this will prevent anyone from entering their house. They think they have finally created complete safety. The security device is described in a way that reminds us of something from a fairy tale. This is ironic because something that is supposed to be magical and protective actually becomes extremely dangerous. The family has created what looks like a protected castle, but it is actually a dangerous prison. The parents are especially concerned about their young son. They want to protect him from the dangers outside. The child, however, does not understand the adults’ fear in the same way. He is innocent and curious. He is attracted to the fairy-tale-like security arrangement around the house. He sees the world more simply than his parents do. This difference between the child and the adults is important. The adults have learned to look at the world through fear and suspicion, while the child still has innocence and curiosity. He does not understand that the protective structure around his home can be deadly. The tragedy occurs when the little boy tries to go through the security barrier. He becomes caught in the razor-sharp coils around the wall. The parents immediately try to rescue him, but they cannot save him. The very thing that they had installed to protect their family becomes the cause of their child’s death. This is the most important irony in the story. The parents were afraid that an outsider would harm their child, but their own security system kills him. They wanted to keep danger outside, but they created danger inside their own home. The death of the child has a deeper symbolic meaning. The child represents innocence, hope and the future. He has not yet developed the same fears and prejudices as his parents. His death suggests that a society based on fear, separation and violence can ultimately destroy even innocent people. The parents believe that they are protecting their child, but their excessive fear prevents them from seeing the danger created by their own actions. Gordimer therefore shows that too much fear can become more dangerous than the danger we are trying to avoid. One of the main themes of the story is fear. The family is constantly afraid of being attacked or robbed. Their fear makes them build more and more barriers. But the story shows that fear does not disappear simply because we build walls. In fact, fear can become stronger. The more the family protects themselves, the more they worry about possible dangers. They never feel completely safe. Gordimer suggests that a person cannot create perfect security by separating themselves from everyone else. Fear can make people suspicious of others and can eventually control their lives.

Another important theme is racism and apartheid. The family’s fear of people outside their community reflects the racial divisions of South Africa. The story shows how privileged people can begin to see others as dangerous simply because they are different or belong to a poorer or socially excluded group. The walls around the house can therefore be seen as a symbol of apartheid. Just as the family separates itself from the outside world, apartheid separated different racial groups from each other. Gordimer shows the psychological damage caused by such separation. The story also deals with class difference and privilege. The family has a large house, possessions and a comfortable lifestyle. Because they have things to protect, they become increasingly worried about losing them. Their wealth gives them a feeling that they must constantly defend what they own. Gordimer shows how material comfort does not necessarily bring peace of mind. The family has money and a beautiful home, but they are still frightened. Their desire to protect their property finally becomes so strong that it leads to tragedy. Another major theme is the false idea of complete safety. The family believes that if they build enough walls and install enough security devices, nothing bad can happen to them. But the story proves that complete safety is impossible. Every new security measure creates another problem. The final security device, which is supposed to be the strongest protection, becomes the cause of the child’s death. Gordimer therefore gives a clear warning: sometimes the things we create to protect ourselves can become dangerous when we use them without thinking about their consequences. The story also uses irony very effectively. Irony means that what happens is very different from what we expect. The family expects their security system to save them, but it kills their child. They want to create a happy and safe home, but the home becomes a place of fear and death. They want to keep danger outside, but the greatest danger comes from their own protective system. The title itself is also ironic. “Once Upon a Time” usually begins a happy fairy tale, but this story does not end with “happily ever after.” Instead, it ends with the death of an innocent child. The wall is one of the most important symbols in the story. Literally, it protects the family from outsiders. Symbolically, it represents separation between people. It can represent the racial barriers of apartheid, the division between rich and poor and the psychological barriers created by fear. The more walls the family builds, the more separated they become from the outside world. The wall therefore represents both physical protection and social isolation. The razor wire/security device is another important symbol. It represents extreme measures taken in the name of safety. At first, the family sees it as protection. But later, it becomes a symbol of violence and destruction. Its role in the death of the child shows that violence used for protection can eventually turn against the people who use it. The child is therefore killed by the very system his parents created for his safety.

Gordimer also uses the fairy-tale style in a clever way. Traditional fairy tales usually have a safe kingdom, a good family, a dangerous enemy and a happy ending. Gordimer uses these familiar elements but changes them. The family’s house becomes a castle, but the castle is surrounded by dangerous barriers. The parents want to protect their child like a prince in a fairy tale, but their protection causes his death. Instead of a happy ending, there is tragedy. Through this technique, Gordimer shows that the real world is not a simple fairy tale where good people can easily defeat evil. The narrator at the beginning also connects the story with the reader. She herself experiences fear when she thinks someone might be inside her house. This shows that fear is not limited to the fictional family. The narrator also understands how easily ordinary people can become frightened. In this way, Gordimer asks readers to think about their own fears and about the ways fear can influence their decisions. The story is therefore not only about South Africa; it has a wider message about human behaviour. The ending is especially powerful because the reader understands the full meaning of the family’s actions only after the child dies. The parents wanted to protect their home, their possessions and their son. But their fear made them create an increasingly dangerous environment. Their tragedy shows that fear, prejudice and excessive protection can destroy the very things people want to save. The child’s death is therefore not an accidental event in the story; it is the final result of the family’s entire way of thinking. “Once Upon a Time” is a story about fear, security, racism, apartheid, class division, prejudice, isolation and the dangers of excessive protection. On the surface, it tells the story of a family that wants to protect itself from criminals. At a deeper level, it presents a picture of a society divided by racial and social barriers. The house becomes a symbol of privilege, the wall becomes a symbol of separation, and the razor wire becomes a symbol of dangerous protection. The little boy represents innocence and the future, and his death shows the terrible consequences of a life controlled by fear. Gordimer uses the simple form of a fairy tale to communicate a serious message: when people become so afraid of others that they build walls between themselves and the rest of society, those walls may eventually imprison and destroy them.