Ventura 1

Jessica Ventura
English 185
Professor Smith
Spring 2015
Many parents believe in the idea of protecting kids by only exposing them to the positive
sides of stories. Child therapist Bruno Bettelheim argues in his paper, The Struggle of Meaning that
new literature for children does not teach them as much as folk fairy tales have. In another one of his
essays Fairy tales and Existential Predicament, he responds to the large parental opinion of
shielding children from the negative sides of life. Many people debate this topic thoroughly, but I
know that if as a child I had only been exposed to the positive sides of life then I would not have been
prepared for reality. Therefore, the idea of sheltering children too much could be one that could harm
children as they continue to grow.
Bruno Bettelheim, in his paper The Struggle for Meaning, believes that folk fairy tales
enrich and satisfy children as opposed to the recent creation of childrens literature. Early in the essay
he says, it fails to stimulate and nurture those resources he needs most in order to cope with his
difficult inner problems (Bettelheim 269). Bettelheim is addressing the idea that new literature
teaches important skills necessary to children, but fail to offer deeper meaning. According to
Bettelheim the deeper meaning is the ability to not only arouse their imagination but also
acknowledge their difficulties. New literature also fails to acknowledge what makes them anxious,
what their afraid of, and fails to include helpful solutions to their problems. In another Bettelheim
essay Fairy Tales and Existential Predicament, he is addressing the importance of fairy tales and
says, a child needs to understand what is going on within his conscious self so that he can also cope
with that which goes on in his unconscious (Bettelheim 271). He believes that in order for children
to cope properly with growing up they need to be able to understand their conscious self and be

Ventura 2
exposed to reality. Therefore, familiarizing themselves with these situations in fairy tales help them
deal with growing up much better and it helps them understand that difficulty in life is common.
Bettelheim clearly believes that folk fairy tales acknowledge childrens difficulties while also
giving them a slice of reality, which is something I thoroughly agree with. I also believe that folk
fairy tales help form a rubric for children by establishing common fears and thoughts that children
may have. Among these folk tales each story acknowledges different thoughts, aspirations, or fears
that many children share and it helps children understand that these thoughts are normal. A great
example of this would be Perraults Little Red Riding Hood, which addresses the common fear of
strangers that children tend to have (Perrault 11). Perrault addressing this common fear allows
children to understand that their feelings are normal. It also helps them form a community among
other children because it is a shared feeling. Bettelheim in his second essay says, Many parents
believe that only conscious reality or pleasant and wish fulfilling images should be presented to the
child (Bettelheim 272). Much like Bettelheim, I disagree with this idea because I believe sheltering
children too much can eventually harm them. Through fairytales such as Snow White by the Brothers
Grimm, I understood that people like the evil stepmother were real and that not everyone would be
nice. I was raised with folk fairy tales and because of this I believe I grew up much more prepared to
endure the reality of life, and am sure it would benefit other children as well.
It is common nature to want to protect children from the negatives that life brings in order to
keep them innocent. However, Bettelheim proves a good point by expressing the idea that folk fairy
tales help children cope with the truth to life in a much more successful manner, because in the end
life can not stay one sided forever. Folk fairy tales express a truth to children that they deserve to
know about in order to understand that their thoughts and feelings are normal. In the long run when
children are more understanding of the obstacles life brings, they will be thankful for the truth instead
of being shielded from reality.