How does the author use the motif of fairy tales to relate Mireille's story in the novel, An Untamed State?

Gay incorporates a motif of fairy tales in her novel to describe the way that Mireille’s life before she was kidnapped was a fairy tale compared to what happened to her when she was being held captive. Mireille opens her story using the typical fairy tale form. She indicates that her fairy tale ended when she was raped by the Commander’s men. Mireille spends the rest of her life trying to get back to the fairy tale life she enjoyed before her kidnapping.