Bruno Bettelheim's 'Fairy Tales And The Existential Predicament'

Gregory Hyatt
Professor McMillan
English Composition 102
March 19, 2012 Components of A Fairytale

Fairy tales should illustrate more than what meets the eye. It should incorporate certain elements, which can aid in the development to healthy growth of a childhood. In “Fairy Tales and the Existential Predicament,” Bruno Bettelheim discusses the importance of fairy tales and the elements they should contain in order to fully connect with a child reading a particular fairy tale. Bettelheim considers a successful fairy tale to be one, which fulfills a child’s psychological needs and promotes his/her development. The Grimm brother’s structure of their fairy tale in Little Red Cap (LRC) was different in certain points than Charles
As Bettelheim reasoned, the child can identify with the good character, not because he values goodness per se, but because he identifies with the situation the character is placed in and wants to see her escape or triumph. Nevertheless, the morality of the situation is not lost on the child and he or she learns to value good over evil. In Charles Perrault’s version of Little Red Riding Hood, we are introduced to the main character portrayed as an innocent girl living in a small village. As was stated by Perrault, “Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl”(Perrault 63). This quote shows the presence of the simply drawn character Bettelheim looks for in a successful fairy tale. In the Grimm Brother’s version of Little Red Cap, the reader is once more introduced to what is believed to be a sweet innocent girl also living in a village. As was stated by Grimm, “Once upon a time there was a sweet little girl”(Grimm 65). Both stories although both having different tones, contain the same aspect that is needed for a story to qualify as a fairy tale according to Bettelheim, simply drawn characters. Although Perrault’s version is more friendly compared to the more darker version of the Grimm Brothers’, both contain simply drawn characters in
As Bettelheim reasoned, folk tale characters experience existential anxieties that are inherent in human nature: the need to be loved, the fear that one is thought worthless, the value of life and joy, and the ever-present spectra of death. In LRC, the reader is able to see the importance of mastering difficulties in life when Little Red Cap was thought to have been dead as a result of being eaten by the wolf. The reader is given a glimpse of hope on Red Cap’s good fortunes when Grimm states, “He has eaten the girl but perhaps she can still be saved”(Grimm 66). When she emerges from the wolf’s stomach after being rescued by a local woodsman, the theme being conveyed to the reader is that through Red Cap’s experience, her perseverance was able to master the difficulty in her life, being eaten by a wolf. It displays to the reader that even when potential death can be staring at you as a possibility, it is important to try to preserver. The logic behind this idea is that perseverance allows an individual to never give up on life no matter how bleak the circumstances may look at a given time. When Red Cap was eaten by the wolf and thought to be dead, it appeared her outcome was bleak. However through her perseverance, she was able to master the difficulty in her life at that particular moment. Due to this Bettelheim aspect of perseverance being