Fairy Tales Help Adults Grow Most adults, although they find fairy tales delightful, usually regard them as stories for children. Fairy tales also have value for adults. Allan Chinen, M.D., a psychiatrist with a special interest in the developmental stages of adulthood and aging, has noted the frequent reference to older people in fairy tales. That discovery led him to a worldwide search for fairy tales meant for adults and found that approximately two percent of all fairy tales fit the bill. These particular tales describe what happens after the familiar ending line, "...and they lived happily ever after." Chinen titled his collection of adult fairy tales, therefore, In the Ever After (Chiron Publications). Fairy stories, whether for children or adults, are full of wisdom and psychological truth. They utilize symbolism in the choice of places and events. A forest or ocean, for example, may symbolize journeys into the subconscious. When a particular character appears, such as a queen or a man in rags, it is always significant, perhaps pointing to a particular attitude. Mini-dramas within the tale, like a fight, or the eating of food, may represent psychological events, such as conflicting ideas or adopting certain concepts. Fairy tales in the language of fantasy symbolize the developmental tasks individuals must encounter as they go through life. Young children and adolescents, for example, face the tasks involved in growing up, as portrayed in stories like "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Cinderella," in which the child-hero leaves home and achieve some independence. The process is rarely easy in real life, and this difficulty is reflected in the fairy tales' hair-raising ordeals, such as fighting witches and outwitting giants. After the phases of childhood and adolescence, assuming that the developmental challenges are met--and there are no guarantees that they will be--the elder tales begin. These tales alert us to the nature of the developmental tasks that adults face, reminding us that maturity has a different face than growing up. For example, in one of the elder tales, "The Sparrow's Gift," there is an old woman who complains about her husband's sparrow. She feels the sparrow is noisy and greedy, when in fact it is she herself who is that way. Later in the story, the sparrow gives her a box. When she opens it, she discovers it is full of demons who attack her. She runs to her husband for protection. The demons, however, are from her own unconscious. The experience, although horrifying, helps her to see herself, her own selfishness and greed. She is able to reform herself into a kind and gracious woman. Chinen has identified several specific tasks for the adult in the second half of life. "The Sparrow's Gift" portrays the task of self-reformation. Another task concerns the theme of loss and rediscovery of the magic of life. A fairy tale portraying this challenge often begins with the heroes living in poverty, then going through an adventure that restores them to living in abundance. Such a tale might well be an anecdote to mid-life depression, when the adult asks, "Is this all there is?" Other tasks include learning the difference between the mask and the true self or between wisdom and evil, developing self-transcendence, developing a relationship with God, and the return of wonder or the childhood innocence that is enlightenment in old age. Elder tales can be a comfort to read, making the aches of growing old seem like voices calling us onto adventures into greater meaning. (Digest by Dianna Jordan, Atlantic University) |