Main Symbol in Nadine Gordimer's Once Upon A Time
In her short story, Once Upon A Time, Nadine Gordimer uses many symbols to present her ideas/views upon the several aspects of the society.
One of the recurring symbols she employs is, of Alarms. It reflects the underlying theme of alertness and distrust in the minds of people about their security. People residing in the suburb are apprehensive of burglaries, so they install security system including alarms, barb wires. Security Alarms are widely used appliance not only in the home of the protagonist family but also in all the houses in the suburban area. Pets or other animals like mice trigger the alarms.
"The alarm was often answered—it seemed— by other burglar alarms, in other houses, that had been triggered by pet cats or nibbling mice."
Moreover, the people are now accustomed to the sound of alarm as it is not unusual if there is an alarm buzzing in the neighbourhood. The sound of it is compared to an insect or a frog's croak.
"The alarms called to one another across the gardens in shrills and bleats and wails that everyone soon became accustomed to, so that the din roused the inhabitants of the suburb no more than the croak of frogs and musical grating of cicadas' legs."
Their habitualness to the alarms paved the way for thieves to perform their act and security system never overcome the scourge of burglary in the region. All of the inhabitants' alertness and remedies failed and in the end, the precious child of the family lost his life due to the security system build around the house which was intended to work as a deterrent for bad people.
One of the recurring symbols she employs is, of Alarms. It reflects the underlying theme of alertness and distrust in the minds of people about their security. People residing in the suburb are apprehensive of burglaries, so they install security system including alarms, barb wires. Security Alarms are widely used appliance not only in the home of the protagonist family but also in all the houses in the suburban area. Pets or other animals like mice trigger the alarms.
"The alarm was often answered—it seemed— by other burglar alarms, in other houses, that had been triggered by pet cats or nibbling mice."
Moreover, the people are now accustomed to the sound of alarm as it is not unusual if there is an alarm buzzing in the neighbourhood. The sound of it is compared to an insect or a frog's croak.
"The alarms called to one another across the gardens in shrills and bleats and wails that everyone soon became accustomed to, so that the din roused the inhabitants of the suburb no more than the croak of frogs and musical grating of cicadas' legs."
Their habitualness to the alarms paved the way for thieves to perform their act and security system never overcome the scourge of burglary in the region. All of the inhabitants' alertness and remedies failed and in the end, the precious child of the family lost his life due to the security system build around the house which was intended to work as a deterrent for bad people.