I don't agree with the premise that this story contains elements of myth and fairytale. Oates wrote this story after reading about a series of murders of young girls in Arizona, and did not create it out of the air.
Myth is defined as
a legendary or traditional story, usually one concerning a superhuman being and dealing with events that have no natural explanation.... It usually attempts to explain a phenomenon or strange occurrence without regard to fact or common sense and appeals to the emotions rather than reason.
If you hold to this description, then you cannot call Oates's story a myth because it is based in fact.
Common elements of fairytales include:
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- set in the past; may be presented as historical
- do not need to include fairies
- fantasy, supernatural, or make-believe aspects
- clearly defined good and evil characters
- magic
- objects, people, or events in threes
- a problem or conflict that needs to be solved
- happy endings, based on the resolution of the conflict or problem
- usually teach a lesson or demonstrate values important to the culture
You can say that this story does have clearly defined good and evil characters. However, the problem is resolved negatively, and there is no happy ending. If it teaches a lesson, it is that bad things can happen to anybody.
The story does contain religious imagery, but I would classify that as "myth."
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