Once Upon a Time II

In Nadine Gordimer's Once Upon a Time, the young boy faces a serious calamity. He enters the fence and "with the first fixing of its razorteeth in his knees and hands and head he screamed... (Gordimer, 236).  Although his state of health is unclear, it is apparent he was at the very least severly wounded. Despite being an accident, some blame for his condition rests soley with his parents. In their obsession with keeping unwanted visitors out, the parents overlooked what should have benn their number one priority, their son. Most parents would reject security measures, such as guns, wire, or even mouse traps, that, while capable of defending aganist intruders, poses a risk to their children. Their niavity also shows when they allow their small child to play around the hazard with zero supervision. Good parents would al least warn him, drilling into his head to stay away from the fence like a pool or a busy street. Unfortunately for the son, his parents neglected to mention the dangers posed to him in his own backyard. They were too busy guarding him from unforseen hazards outside the home.