I'm somewhere between "death of the author" and "there are no/all valid interpretations". Stories help you explore through eyes that aren't your own and ask questions or raise contradictions you wouldn't otherwise consider, but I don't really think critically analyzing fiction is all that useful.
Dive deep into a story, feel what you feel, let your mind wander. I think classes analyzing themes in the Scarlet Letter or whatever are missing the point of storytelling. It should be organic, and whatever it triggers is valid.