How does the shift in structure from an autobiographical tale to a "bedtime story" affect the reader ?

The shift in structure from autobiography to fairytale allows the reader to take a more personal interest in the story itself. We meet a family that could be anyone's family..... a family facing a horrific nightmare. None-the-less, the fairytale allows us to move beyond the story and picture ourselves in the action. What would we do to protect our own families...... to what lengths would we go to protect ourselves?