Once Upon a Time
Nadine Gordimer
The author of Once Upon a Time, Nadine Gordimer, when asked to write a children's story, not only declined the request, but developed a completely juxtaposed version of a fairytale, complete with traditional motifs and all. The "wise witch", or the husband's mother gave a particular piece of advice- that they not allow anyone from outside, in. Instead of a mere acceptance of this advice, the family that was seemingly cool-and-collected were eaten up with paranoia on the inside, as all of their neighbors were. A chain reaction influence the entire suburb to buy security systems, fences, and bars for their windows. This fairytale of a life is now chained up and put behind bars as the streets fill with the scent of unemployment, poverty, and the worst of all- common people. The most ironic and painful of all, is when the boy gets caught up in the spikes atop of the brick barriers while he was trying desperately to climb through "the thorns" like the prince of a fairytale who also climbed through to reach a princess. He was reaching for a fairytale- but instead, he was stabbed by his own family's fear of reality.
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