Once Upon a Time by Nadine Gordimer Summary

Narrator’s Experience: The story begins with the narrator, who is a writer. She receives a letter from a man asking her to write a children’s story for an anthology. She declines, saying she doesn’t write for children. The man insists that all writers should write children’s stories, but the narrator feels no obligation. She then recalls a night when she was woken by the sound of footsteps on creaking floorboards. Her heart races with fear, thinking it might be an intruder. She remembers recent crimes in her area and lies still, listening intently. Eventually, she realizes the noise is not from an intruder but from the house settling because of mines deep underground. Unable to fall back asleep, she decides to tell herself a bedtime story.

The Bedtime Story: The story within the story is about a happy family living in a suburban house. This family includes a husband, a wife, and their little boy. They also have a housemaid and a gardener. They take many precautions to keep themselves safe. For example, they have a fence around their pool to prevent the boy from falling in and drowning. They have a Neighborhood Watch sign to deter intruders and several insurance policies. However, they are not insured against riots, which are happening outside the city.

Security Measures: To comfort his worried wife and because he knows about the violent riots, the husband installs electronic gates at the front of their house. These gates have an intercom system that the boy and his friends find fascinating and use as a walkie-talkie. As burglaries increase in their suburb, the couple decides to install security bars on their doors and windows and put in an alarm system. Sometimes the alarm goes off because of their cat, and other times it’s because of pets or rodents in the neighborhood. The alarms sound so often that they begin to lose their urgency, becoming background noise. Burglars start timing their activities to coincide with the alarms, knowing people won’t react.

Increasing Fear: Over time, unemployed black people start looking for work in the suburb. The wife wants to give them food, but her husband and the housemaid warn her against it, saying the people outside are criminals. The family decides to make their garden wall higher. Despite these measures, burglaries continue in the neighborhood. One day, they see their cat easily climbing over the wall, which makes them worry that people could do the same. They walk around their neighborhood and see different security measures on other houses, such as lances, spikes, and walls with shards of glass.

Final Security Measure: The family decides on the most threatening security measure they see: metal coils with razor blades. These coils are installed on their walls, making it impossible for anyone to climb without getting severely injured. The security system is called Dragon’s Teeth. The next day, workers install the coils, which shine in the sun. The husband reassures his wife that the metal will weather over time, but she points out it is weather-proof. They hope their cat is smart enough to stay away from it.

Tragic Ending: That night, the wife reads their son the story of Sleeping Beauty, where the Prince must fight through a dense thicket of thorns to rescue the Princess. The next day, the boy pretends to be the Prince and tries to climb through the razor wire. He becomes entangled and severely injured. Despite the housemaid, gardener, and parents’ efforts, the boy’s bleeding body is eventually cut free with heavy equipment. The story ends with the family carrying the boy’s body into the house, devastated.

Analysis of “Once Upon a Time” by Nadine Gordimer

Nadine Gordimer’s “Once Upon a Time” is a poignant short story that tackles deep themes such as fear, security, and apartheid. Through its narrative structure and symbolic elements, the story critiques societal behaviors and attitudes during apartheid in South Africa.

Narrative Structure and Style

The story is presented as a bedtime story within a frame narrative. The narrator, a writer, is asked to write a children’s story but declines, stating she doesn’t write “ought to” stories. This frame introduces the primary tale as something whimsical and detached, contrasting sharply with its dark and serious content. This juxtaposition highlights the absurdity and horror of the real-life issues the story addresses, emphasizing how real fears can overshadow the innocence of a “once upon a time” tale.

Themes

Fear and Security

Escalating Precautions: The family’s journey from taking basic security measures to installing extreme protections highlights the pervasive fear that drives their actions. Initially, they install a fence and join a Neighborhood Watch, which are reasonable steps. However, their fear escalates, leading to electronic gates, bars on windows, and finally, the deadly razor wire. This progression shows how fear can lead to increasingly drastic and irrational behaviors.

False Sense of Safety: Each security measure gives the family a false sense of safety, making them feel temporarily secure. However, this sense of security is always short-lived, as they continue to perceive threats around them. The ultimate irony is that their final security measure, intended to protect them, causes the death of their son. This tragic outcome underscores the futility of seeking absolute security through extreme measures.

Apartheid and Racial Segregation

Allegory for Apartheid: The story serves as an allegory for apartheid, with the family representing white South Africans who isolate themselves from black South Africans. The physical barriers they erect symbolize the racial segregation of the time. The family’s fear of “people of another color” reflects the irrational and dehumanizing fear that underpinned apartheid policies.

Economic Disparity: The story also highlights economic disparities. The family lives comfortably with a housemaid and gardener, while unemployed black people loiter outside, seeking work. This economic divide reinforces the racial segregation and the fear the family feels, which is rooted in maintaining their privileged status.

Illusion of Safety

Security Measures as Illusions: The story critiques the illusion of safety that the family’s security measures provide. Each new measure is meant to enhance their safety but only leads to more fear and isolation. The alarm system, for example, becomes so commonplace that it loses its effectiveness. The razor wire, the most extreme measure, ultimately results in tragedy, showing that such measures can have unintended and devastating consequences.

Living in Fear: The family’s continuous efforts to protect themselves from perceived threats show how living in fear can dominate one’s life. Their home, meant to be a sanctuary, becomes a fortress. This transformation reflects how excessive fear can imprison individuals, stripping them of their sense of freedom and peace.

Irony and Tragedy

The Tragic Irony: The greatest irony in the story is that the family’s ultimate security measure, the razor wire, kills their son. This tragic outcome illustrates the destructive nature of their fear-driven actions. The bedtime story, which is supposed to be soothing and comforting, ends in horror, reinforcing the story’s critique of excessive security measures and irrational fear.

Symbolic Elements: The razor wire symbolizes the sharp and harmful barriers erected by fear and racism. The cat, which often sets off the alarm, represents the trivial yet persistent disturbances that can amplify fear. The little boy’s death is a stark reminder of the human cost of living in constant fear and seeking safety through harmful means.

Social Commentary

Critique of Apartheid: Gordimer uses the story to comment on the social and political climate of apartheid South Africa. The family’s actions mirror the broader societal issues of the time, such as racial inequality and fear of the “other.” The story highlights the absurdity and horror of apartheid, showing how it dehumanizes people and creates an environment of fear and suspicion.

Impact on Individuals: The story also explores the impact of societal issues on individuals and families. The family’s fear-driven actions lead to their isolation and, ultimately, tragedy. This outcome reflects how societal problems like apartheid can permeate and destroy personal lives, emphasizing the need for empathy and understanding rather than fear and segregation.

“Once Upon a Time” by Nadine Gordimer is a powerful critique of fear, security, and apartheid. Through its narrative structure, symbolic elements, and tragic ending, the story highlights the destructive nature of irrational fear and the illusion of safety created by extreme security measures. Gordimer’s tale serves as a poignant reminder of the human cost of living in fear and the importance of addressing societal issues with empathy and understanding. The story remains relevant today, as it challenges readers to reflect on their own fears and the measures they take to feel secure.