Gordimer's Once Upon A Time

The father from the short story “Once upon a time” had displayed signs of being cautious throughout the narrative, because of the recent events and riots that have rattled the environment. Notably, the father seems to only take action when he heeds advice from individuals that he had spoken to. In fact, when the mother requested for the housemaid to feed the dwellers outside of the Suburb, but regardless, the trusted housemaid did not consider it to be a marvelous idea and the husband agreed with her: “...but the trusted housemaid said these [people] would come and tie her up and shut her in the cupboard. The husband said She’s right. Take heed of her advice. You only encourage them with your bread and tea.” (Gordimer 41). The proclamation
The action is not completely a good thing because around the completion of the story, the father’s overprotectiveness resulted in the extermination of his offspring. However, the father’s overprotectiveness seemed to always be shown throughout the short story, as if the father was obsessed with the objective of protecting his family. Specifically, when the parents were out in the streets, they were no longer in awe of the neighbourhood scenery that passed by. Whereas now, the focal point of their attraction was on the burglar bars and walls that were plastered through every house: “...they no longer paused to admire [the landscape]…. the husband and wife found themselves comparing the possible effectiveness of each style against its appearance;” (Gordimer 41-42). Henceforth, the paranoia that possessed the husband, altered his behaviour as disastrous events kept occurring throughout the short story. He was no longer dazzled by the landscape, instead, it was directed on the effectiveness of each security mechanism. The father demonstrating the feeling of being cautious can be seen when paranoia struck him as the riots progressed, and left him in suspicion of everyone around