sign on a chainlink fence with the words Neighborhood Watch written upon it

Once Upon a Time

by Nadine Gordimer

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Once Upon a Time Questions by Tag

Themes

Fear
Social Inequality
Isolation
Safety
Racism
Apartheid

Plot

Exposition
Frame Story
Introduction
Security Measures
Summary

Characters

The Boy
Mother-in-law
The Wife
Housemaid

Symbolism

Barbed Wire
The Cat
The Wall
Wise Old Witch
The Boy

Style

Fairy-Tale Language
Tone
Mood

Historical Context

Apartheid
South Africa

Setting

South Africa
Suburb

Literary Devices

Repetition
Irony

Narrative Perspective

Framed Narrative

Authorship

Nadine Gordimer

Genre

Fairy Tale