Students of literature are expected to think critically and apply their critical and analytical kills to the texts they study. It is generally assumed that students who have red the text and attended the lectures would be able to appraise it critically when in reality the case is quite the contrary. Critical thinking involves the use of different cognitive skills, which do not come automatic and have to be taught and developed. This paper would argue for critical thinking as an important area of teaching as it helps students become self -motivated and autonomous learners who can apply their acquired modes of inquiry both inside and outside classroom situation. Critical thinking can be developed through critical reading, rather the two come together. It involves training the students what to look for and how to think about what they find. Leading the students through different reading practices such as inference, interpretation and also questioning the ideologies embedded within the text can do it. The paper uses the text of a short story Once Upon a Time by Nadine Gordimer to illustrate teaching critical thinking through literature.