She is naïve and does not realize that the wolf is trying to trick her so that he can eat her. She is easily distracted by the flowers, nuts, and butterflies that she finds along the path he sends her on. When she gets to her grandmother?s house, although she feels that something is wrong, she enters anyway. Little Red strips off her clothes and gets into the bed with the wolf, still disguised as her grandmother. The wolf pro... ... middle of paper ... ... stories show symbolism for Little Red learning and maturing.
Over the years, fairytales have been “cleaned up” for young ears- we have become accustomed to the bland Disney versions of tales. How many of us can recount a version separate from the animated classics of our childhood? It is truly hard to believe that sometimes there are much more racy versions of these same tales. Today, I ‘d like to share one such variation of Little Red Riding Hood called In the Company of Wolves, written by Angela Carter. I will recount ancient folklore of werewolves, introduce the sexually charged characters as I walk with you through the seemingly familiar yet much more raw path to grandmother’s house, and take you on a journey from virginity to womanhood.
The fairytale Little Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault is a story that recounts the adventure of the protagonist Little Red Riding Hood as she fulfills her mother’s wishes to bring a package to her ill grandmother. Perrault’s short story conveys influential life themes on the idea of male predation on adolescent women who fall victim to male deception. Perrault successfully portrays these themes through his use of rhetorical devices such as personifying the actions of the antagonist Wolf predator as he preys on the protagonist Little Red. Perrault illuminates the central theme of upholding sexual purity and being aware of eminent threats in society in his work. Roald Dahl’s poem, Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, is an adaptation to
However, each presents the reader with a dichotomy that leads to an interesting juxtaposition in presentation. Carter and Perrault both offer interesting insight in their short stories depicting the fairytale of Little Red Riding Hood by the symbolism of the wolf and flip in moral. In “Little Red Riding Hood”, Charles Perrault uses the wolf as both a religious symbol and a symbol for men who prey on those weaker and more naïve than themselves, usually women. The devilish wolf is sneaky and cunning and at every opportunity has “a very great mind to eat her up” in the woods, but instead makes a deal with her. Like the classic devil, he charms her with his manners and suavely offers her his assistance.
For instance, in both stories she strips naked and gets onto the bed with the wolf, which could be interpreted as how a girl is experiencing sexual experiences for the first time in her life. And the flowers that was told in the story could mean she was perhaps deflowered. So, this may seem that women will do whatever the men says according to folktales, however it is a great mistake to assume t... ... middle of paper ... ... on. This may be interpreted as how the female gender is more intelligent than what was assumed of her. The girl understands what the wolf was trying to do so she goes out with a thread tied to her ankle but ‘she cuts the thread with her sewing scissors and ties it to a plum tree’.
This is apparent in both tales, where Little Red Riding Hood gives into her desires and impulses by disobeying her mother and speaking to the wolf, whereas the wolf has more self-control and is able to restrain impulses. At the beginning of the story, the first thing Little Red Riding Hood’s mother tells her is “Here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine. Take them to your grandmother. She is sick and weak, and they will do her well. Mind your manners and give her my greetings.
The mother explains, “Fairytales- you are a bit too old to be filling your head with such nonsense” (Pan’s Labyrinth). Ofelia becomes embittered by the misery that surrounds her and her anger inspires her to utilize her imagination. She creates a magical world with unusual creatures. Through her fantasies, she is now able to escape her mother’s abandonment and her tyrannical step-father. In The Company of Wolves, Rosaleen’s imaginative skills free her from her sister’s mistreatment.
Likewise, the hungry wolf does not simply eat the grandmother. Instead, Perrault distinctly portrays that before consumption, "he threw himself on the good woman." And furthermore, before digesting the young girl, he invites her into bed. At which point, she "took off her clothes and went to lie down in the bed." After she thoroughly inspects and comments on nearly every aspect of the wolf's "big" body parts, the wolf then "threw himself upon Little Red Riding Hood" to consume ... ... middle of paper ... ...l, she then goes into the woods to encounter the id.
Little Red Riding Hood tells a story of a young and innocent girl, who was sent to look after her grandmother by her mother, however, she was distracted by the wolf and fell into the wolf’s trap, as a result, both her and her grandmother was eaten by the wolf. The story ends in a way which the readers may not anticipated, because most readers expect fairy tales to have a happy ending. In the beginning of the story, Charles Perrault created this character little red riding hood as an extremely lovable figure, therefore, some readers might wonder why such an innocent figure was eaten by a wolf, and the reasons Charles Perrault made this tragedy happen. In this famous fairy tale, by visualizing the characters such Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf and the mother, as well as the setting of the story, Charles Perrault illustrates the seductions and difficulties people will face on their adventure to success and also gives people advices on how to handle these seductions. Little Red Riding Hood is portrayed as an innocent figure who has no precaution consciousness and is easily seduced.
Folktales such as the “Little Red Riding Hood” by Charles Perrault and “The Grandmothers Tale” told by Louis and François Briffault tell us how appearance and symbolism of different settings develop meanings about innocence and maturity. In the “Little Red Riding Hood” by Perrault conveys to us the meaning behind the red hood worn by the little girl, and how that captures the interest of sexual predators. Perrault also expresses how the little red riding hood was not mature enough to resist the approach of the wolf leading to her demise. “The Grandmother’s Tale” shows us how maturation influences the decisions made by the little girl through the use of symbolism. The Red Hood in Charles Perrault’s, “Little Red Riding Hood” carried a very vital role because it was the motif that was significant to the story.