Little Red Riding Hood Research Paper

The way society views women has changed drastically over the centuries. We see it through history books, but what about fairytales that have been around for centuries? After reading the three very different versions of “Little Red Riding Hood” it will be very hard for me to look at the story the same. Growing up, I always thought the theme of the story was to not talk to strangers when going to visit your granny in the woods. However, the three authors of these stories have very different themes, but at the same time I saw a blatant difference in each piece how woman were viewed at the time the story was written.
The first version I read, Little Red Riding Hood, written by Charles Perrault, is probably the oldest version of the story. Written

She is instructed to bring her grandmother cake by her mother, on her way to her grandmother she encounters a malicious wolf, who is the antagonist of the story. She tells the wolf her entire plan to visit her grandmother, this told me the pretty little girl is very dumb to tell a wolf she has never met her travel plans which could very well put her in harm’s way. The wolf beats Little Red to her grandmothers and eats the old woman up before the girl gets there. The wolf then disguises himself as Grandmother and waits in bed for Little Red to arrive. When Little Red finally makes her way to the cottage, she believes the wolf is her grandmother, and climbs into bed with the beast. After stating what big arms, eyes, legs, ears, and teeth her “grandmother” had, she realizes who she actually is in bed with. The wolf then eats her up. The theme for the first story is that “One

The setting pf this story is a wintry, northern country where the most dangerous wolves live. Anyone who enters the woods is in danger of the wolves. The narrator tells a few stories about the wolves, some of which are actually werewolves. Some are cheating husbands that lurk as wolves, once killed, the dead wolf bodies transform back into the human forms. Then the story begins with a young girl who wears a red cloak who is traveling in the woods to visit her grandmother. The child is very strong-willed, and lives a very sheltered life. She feels protected by the “invisible pentacle of her own virginity,” and does not fear the dangerous woods. The child hears the howling of the wolves, and then a beautiful young huntsman appears. She is taken back the man, and they begin talking on the way to her grandmother’s. The huntsman tells the girl he knows a shortcut to her grandmother’s, they challenge each other as to who can arrive to the cottage first. The huntsman insists that if he wins, Little Red must kiss him. The huntsman arrives at Grandmother’s first, she is in bed. When the huntsman enters, he strips naked transforms into a wolf and eats the grandmother. Knowing Little Red will arrive any minute he puts on Grandmother’s clothes and climbs into bed. When Little Red arrives she is disappointed the huntsman didn’t arrive first. She then notices the hair in the fireplace and what