Once Upon a Time

None of the characters in the story, including the narrator, has a name. What is the effect of Gordimer’s decision not to name her characters? How would the story be different if the characters had more identifying traits?

Based on the story’s context of apartheid South Africa, Gordimer allows readers to fill in her characters’ racial identities. Conventional readings assume the narrator and the suburban family are white while the domestic staff and “people of another colour” are Black. Are there other ways to interpret the characters’ races? Why or why not?

How important is race in “Once Upon a Time”? Could the story take place outside the context of apartheid South Africa and retain its significance? Why or why not?