The Psychology of "Tom Thumb"

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the Grimm brother's fairy tale, "Tom Thumb," and analyzes it according to the work of the famous psychoanalyst, Bruno Bettelheim. The paper presents a brief overview of Bettelheim's study of childhood fairy tales, explaining that they serve a profound purpose for children, helping them make sense of a world that does not always make sense to a child.

From the Paper:

"In his book The Uses of Enchantment, Bettelheim analyzes many common fairy tales, explaining how the stories meet the emotional and developmental needs of children. He points out that through the fairy tale, otherwise life events children cannot understand become understandable. And, since they take place in a fairly tale with magical elements, fanciful characters and impossible events, the stories are comforting instead of frightening. The children know that while some adults can be mean, uncaring and neglectful, a pumpkin cannot really turn into a coach. Mice cannot really turn into beautiful horses. So, even as the child read about mean adults acting very badly toward children, they are encouraged to recognize that the story is not true. That makes the story safe to read, unlike stories such as The Shining, where awful events are presented in as believable a way as possible."

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