Psychoanalysis can be used in many ways to criticize literature and other texts. Any text can be psychoanalyzed as a linguistic whole, or broken down into smaller segments, such as genre, authorial psychoanalysis, or used to interpret the psyches of characters. Even the “unwritten text” can be psychoanalyzed, using a more structuralist approach and reading between the lines, noting the patterns, dyads and symbols of the text. Psychoanalysis of fairy tale themes can lead to surprising and often child-unsuitable interpretations of children's literature. While Freudian psychoanalysis is a useful tool for gaining additional perspective, it is questionable, as there is no way to prove or disprove the unconscious. It should not be considered as the only way of reading texts, but rather as one of the many approaches of critical theory, because psychoanalysis is an interpretation, a subjective plethora of meanings. However, psychoanalysis can help critics broaden their point of view and deduce grains of “Truth” from the analysis. Author, themes and characters will be analyzed through a Freudian lens, to illustrate that texts can have many meanings and can be seen as a subconscious representation of social values, repressed desires and displacements. Authorial analysis can bring an author's unconscious feelings and thoughts to the surface. A prevalent theme in many fairy tales is the absence of mothers and the evil substitute stepmother. Bambi, The Little Mermaid, Pinocchio, are all part of a long list of characters who lacked a mother and the loving, secure relationship she could offer. A closer look at the animator Walt Disney, for example, can highlight how the absence of mothers... middle of paper... even if, apparently not very complex, children's literature presents mature themes and provides an understanding deeper. of the functioning of the mind. “Freud approached fairy tales just as he approached dreams: as symptomatic expressions of the fulfillment of a wish. . . The fairy tale, for Freud, was not a complex form, although it allowed for the understanding of complex minds” (Kidd 5). Therefore, a seemingly simple children's story can be revealed to have more than one meaning and reflect on the minds of the characters and authors. The underlying patterns of young women, who are somewhat limited during puberty and need male heroes, the loss of beauty, and the scheming, evil middle-aged witches, provide a glimpse into the human unconscious. Repressed desires or fears can be expressed unconsciously through the symbolism and imagery of folk tales.