'The Erl-King can be read as a journey into the unconscious'

How far do you agree? 

The strong Gothic elements, the strange character of the Erl-King, the location and the storyline all link to the idea that the story is a journey into the unconscious. 'Lucidity' is often a way to describe dreams, as 'lucid dreaming' is a realistic dream that feels like it's truly happening; something that could be happening to the narrator. However since she feels and sees so clearly, how can it be a dream? The blurred lines of reality and trickery is apparent here, as the narrator seems confused of her surroundings, describing things in various tenses, and seeing things that aren't truly there, but feature in her 'illusion' of the forest. This illusion could have been influenced by her slowly losing consciousness, becoming more distorted by the second. It could have, however, been created to describe her unconscious and what can be found there. Because of the oppression and the way women have been treated, their self-worth, confidence and pride may be shattered, adding a melancholy  bleak and dark touch to their minds; something Carter may have wanted to explore to show how the patriarchal society has affected us mentally. 

The monstrous character of the Erl-King, sounds so much like a fairytale villain, that it is hard to believe he is a character of this reality. 'He came alive from the desire of the woods' hints at a supernatural being, as he is not entirely human; supernatural beings concocted from various memories, brought together by the subconscious perhaps. The Gothic character of the Erl-King is described as being part of the forest, therefore part of the girls unconscious mind, showing how inescapable men and the dominating role in society is. 

The ending of the story can be seen as false in relation to reality, as the gender roles have been reversed - something society didn't intend to happen. The act it has happened, and has been described in the book, may link to the narrators wishes; not her actual surroundings. It can be inferred that because this has happened, the story must be a dream or happening in her unconscious mind, because a woman taking control and wielding her power over a male is not the expected action, and could never - in a misogynistic opinion - happen in real life, as women are weak and submissive. 

On the other hand, Carter has used The Erl-King story as an allegory, to show how women are treated in the hands of men - a delicate topic that flows throughout all of society. To make this point however I do not think she meant for the story to be read as a 'journey into unconsciousness' but for the audience to realise how serious and out of control the situation is. Even though in some ways the story can be read in the way suggested (due to the liminal state and blur between the lines of reality created because of the narrative voice), it is more likely a story, based on the fairytale, intended in an allegorical way to portray the dangers of men and Carters feminist views.