commentary on South African apartheid in her short story, "Once Upon a Time." The author creates an

underlying uneasiness and obvious irony while following the traditional style reminiscent of bedtime stories,

with modern South African reality filling in for magical kingdoms. Rather than reform the unbalanced

societal structure of apartheid, a white family chooses to ignore the issue and simply add security measures

to their suburban home. The family’s attempt to live happily ever after during a time of social unrest is the

Gordimer’s sarcastic metaphor for the white South Africans and the self-inflicted harm caused by their own

The story begins with an anecdote reeking of symbolism. The author wakes in the middle of the night,

unsure whether she's heard the sound of an intruder's footstep. She imagines herself the victim of an

invasion (24) just as the wife imagines herself the victim of intruders opening her gates and streaming in

(26). Time takes the author’s terror away, and

added protection of “electronically-controlled gates” (26) to prevent unwanted trespassers. Gordimer

for the next generation of white South Africans who have been shielded from the vicious reality of

maintain their way of life. They begin by subscribing to the local Neighborhood Watch and posting a YOU

to the point where homeless beggars begin to inhabit the family’s suburb sidewalks and gutters, pleading for

they endeavor to oppress. Hearing of a neighborhood housemaid’s misfortune at the hands of intruders, the

Some topics in this essay:
Neighborhood Watch, South Africans, South African, South Africa, South Africa's, Nadine Gordimer, Happily Written, south african, razor wire coil, south african apartheid, white south africans, imagines victim, south africans, white south, razor wire, wire coil, “once time”, african apartheid, 24 wife, social system,