The birth of fairy tales is often unknown, but their reputation has always remained the same. These tales not only attract children with their wondrous lands and magical charm, but they captivate the child by involving relatable characters with recognizable problems. Although these stories provide a mind-blowing imagination, the lesson they provide does not cease to exist once the book is closed. Bruno Bettelheim, the author of Uses of Enchantment, constructed an assessment that fairy tales offer insight into the psychological life of the child. He believes that such literature describes how the child develops and deals with real-life conflicts. Addressing such a controversial topic for the first time, not all of Bettelheim's positions are entirely justified. In some cases, it remains open-ended, allowing for an uproar of criticism due to its vague assumptions. Although he has the best interest and good intentions of the children, he fails to notice the distinct difference between the analysis of the mental level of an adult and that of a child. He also easily interprets psychological facts, making his position difficult to accept due to its lack of truth (Zipes). Bettelheim only observes certain aspects of fairy tales and their connection to children, and often dismisses or neglects other aspects such as how children learn and what they actually get from the fairy tale. Thanks to his book, Gale's critical essays, psychological support, and the fairy tales themselves, refuting Bettelheim seems like an easy task; but his work still deserves some reservations due to its careful style and should not be fully published. James Heisig reviews Bettelheim's work in Uses of Enchantment. Bettelheim transmits...... middle of paper ......es.” Children's Literature: Annual of the Modern Language Association Group on Children's Literature and the Children's Literature Association 6 (1997): 93-114. Rep. in contemporary literary criticism. Ed. James P. Draper and Jennifer Allison Brostrom. Flight. 79.Detroit: Gale Research, 1994. Gale Information Resources. Internet. February 17, 2010. Rylant, Cynthia and Mary Blair. Cinderella by Walt Disney. New York: Disney, 2007.2-26. Print.Zipes, Jack. “On the use and abuse of folk tales and fairy tales with children: the moralist magic wand of Bruno Bettelheim. » Breaking the magic spell: radical theories of folk and fairy tales. University of Texas Press, 1979. 160-182.Rpt. in contemporary literary criticism. Ed. James P. Draper and Jennifer Allison Brostrom. Flight. 79. Detroit: Gale Research, 1994. Gale Resource. Internet. March 22. 2010.