Part 1: Chapters 16-22 Summary and Analysis

There is a reason that the number three is significant in fairy tales. Psychologists believe that each part relates to the three aspects of a person's mind, which are the id, ego, and superego. These aspects may be played out in the form of siblings such as Cinderella and the evil stepsisters. When the youngest child is portrayed as a simpleton there are typically two ways in which conflicts can be resolved. One is that the simple sibling will in the end save the family. The simpleton may not feel any responsibility because he is stupid and therefore the family expects nothing from him.

The three may also represent the mother or father and child. This is where Bettelheim refers to the Oedipus complex. The oedipal period in a boy's life is different than that of the...