Discussion Topic
"Pure Concentration Camp Style" and the Wall in "Once Upon a Time"
Summary:
The phrase "pure concentration camp style" in "Once Upon a Time" describes a wall that is both brutal in appearance and function, echoing the oppressive boundaries of concentration camps. The wall, topped with barbed wire and sharp blades, symbolizes both protection and imprisonment, highlighting the extreme security measures taken by the neighborhood. This imagery suggests that the residents, in their quest for safety, have effectively trapped themselves, limiting their own freedom in a manner reminiscent of historical atrocities.
What does "pure concentration camp style" suggest about the wall in "Once Upon a Time"?
This phrase suggests a number of ideas about the wall it describes. The little family takes walks now but does not admire the flowers they once did, as all of the homes in their neighborhood are being surrounded by walls designed to keep out intruders. The couple examines the various structures and decides that there is only the one which is
worth considering. It was the ugliest but the most honest in its suggestion of the pure concentration-camp style....
In other words, the wall looks brutal, and its effect on any human body would be absolutely brutal. It is topped with barbed wire with "serrated" and "jagged blades" so that there is simply no way that a person could climb the wall and not be ensnared by its horrible "fangs." The more a person would struggle against the wire, the more horrible their injuries would be. Just as the camps...
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were surrounded by such horrific bounds, so are the homes that have the "Dragon's Teeth" security wall.
Another suggestion, however, is that the walls do not simply keep people out, but also imprison people within. Barbed wire fences around camps were meant to keep Jewish prisoners from escaping. To surround one's home with such a wall, one that calls to mind concentration camps, is to effectively imprison oneself and restrict one's own freedom.
What does "pure concentration-camp style" suggest about the wall in paragraph 16?
In this particular excerpt, the author is referring to the bewildering array of security measures that the residents of the all-white neighborhood use to protect themselves from the perceived threat of black criminals.
The husband and wife in the story compare the many different walls, barriers, and barricades that their neighbors employ to protect their homes. But one in particular catches their eye. It's a length of stiff, shining metal serrated into sharp, jagged blades. Though incredibly unsightly, it looks much more effective than the other security measures that the husband and wife have seen.
At the same time, however, it looks like something you'd see in a concentration camp. What's significant about this reference is that it suggests that the husband and wife, and all their white neighbors, have effectively imprisoned themselves in their neighborhood by resorting to such drastic security measures.