Once Upon a Time
Introduction + Context
Plot Summary
Detailed Summary & Analysis
Themes
All Themes Wealth Inequality and Fear Apartheid, Racism, and Property Separation and the Illusion of Security Storytelling
Quotes
Characters
All Characters The Narrator The Man / The Husband The Woman / The Wife The Little Boy / The Son The Housemaid The Husband’s Mother
Symbols
All Symbols The Razor Wire
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Once Upon a Time
by Nadine Gordimer
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Introduction Intro
Plot Summary Plot
Summary & Analysis Summary
Themes
  • All Themes
  • Wealth Inequality and Fear Theme Icon
    Wealth Inequality and Fear
  • Apartheid, Racism, and Property Theme Icon
    Apartheid, Racism, and Property
  • Separation and the Illusion of Security Theme Icon
    Separation and the Illusion of Security
  • Storytelling Theme Icon
    Storytelling
Quotes
Characters
  • All Characters
  • The Narrator
  • The Man / The Husband
  • The Woman / The Wife
  • The Little Boy / The Son
  • The Housemaid
  • The Husband’s Mother
Symbols
  • All Symbols
  • The Razor Wire Symbol Icon
    The Razor Wire
Theme Wheel Theme Viz
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The Husband’s Mother

Once Upon a Time Symbols

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The Razor Wire

The Razor Wire

The razor wire is symbolic of apartheid, which destroyed South African society by keeping different races apart. Apartheid is an Afrikaans word that literally means “aparthood” or “separateness,” so the razor wire—which is meant to…

read analysis of The Razor Wire

The Razor Wire Symbol Icon
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The Husband’s Mother
Previous
The Husband’s Mother
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The Razor Wire
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The Razor Wire
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