Once Upon A Time
As a reader, I enjoy reading a story that is shocking and suspenseful and that also can relate to modern times. In the story, “Once Upon a Time”, Gordimer uses reality and suspense to shock the reader by the surprise ending. Any reader can identify with the reality of living in a violent society. Even though the family in Gordimer’s story lives in South Africa, this story could have easily been set in New York City or Los Angeles. This prominent South African family took every precaution to make a safe home, as Gordimer writes “ They were inscribed in a medical benefit society, their pet dog was licensed, they were insured against fire, flood damage, and theft, and subscribed to the local Neighbourhood Watch which supplied them with a plaque for their gates lettered YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED over the silhouette of a would-be intruder.” (76).