Question

In at least 150 words, discuss how Nadine Gordimer uses aspects of the traditional fairy tale to illustrate the realities of apartheid-era South Africa in “Once Upon a Time.” Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

Answer 1

In the story, a family of white people is worried about security. Riots occur in the city, in "coloured neighbourhoods", even black maids have been attacked by thieves . So, the mother and son notice that some neighbours have placed a series of jagged metal wires on top of the gate and they decide to do the same.

One night, the mother tells her son a bedtime story about a prince who climbs through a bush of thorns to bring Sleeping Beauty back to life. The next day, the boy recognizes the jagged swire on the wall as representative of his own bush, and he attempts to climb them in an attempt to duplicate what the prince did. The boy becomes tangled in the metal coil, cut and stabbed and torn . As he struggles and screams in agonizing pain, he becomes further trapped in the metal wire and he finally dies.