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Bettelheim presents some very strong arguements in his analysis of the functions of fairytales in a childs life. He makes some very good points that I generally see coming into play in most fairy tales. For instance, the polarization of good and evil - beautiful and ugly - stupid and clever -etc. I can see how separating these things into distinct categories of the 'hero' and the 'villian' would be helpful to a child in explaining the world in terms that are very clear and simple for the child's mind to grasp. I agree that these fairytales may have profound effects on children who are growing up, experiencing new thoughts and emotions that their parents are not aware of enough to explain. I agree with Bettelheim when he points out that fairytales serve to allow children to feel certain emotion that they are not so sure they should. For instance, he says, "...every child knows he is not always good, and that even when he is he would often perfer not to be. This contradicts what he is told by his parents, and therefore makes the child a monster in his own eyes." For me, I can relate to the idea of being a child and having this sort of feeling that maybe you are the only one who is thinking this way, and to have a story that is easily accessable to the child's understanding would be the perfect outlet for the child to see the he is not 'weird' for having these feelings.

A few other things I just found interesting were just the way he explains the 'happily ever after' as a way of saying that forming a bond with another person, a person can reach ultimate emotional security. Also, the suggestion that 'bringing home the right bride' is the act of reaching sexual maturity and this gaining the kingdom from the king, as well as the ideas that the riddles and tasks that men must figure out in order to get the women, is a metaphor for men having to figure women out in general. These are things I did not consider before.

I think Bettelheim has some pretty valid arguements, though I would definitely not say I agree with all of them (for instance, I do not believe in the oedipal complex theories, and I do think stories like The Little Engine serve a good purpose). Overall though, I really enjoyed reading his take of the value of fairytales in a child's life.