Little Red Riding Hood

While some of the authors may have written their particular versions of Little Red Riding Hood from a deeper perspective, I think the general theme is that of protagonist vs. antagonist, good vs. evil, the innocent vs. the sly and cunning. LRRH is a young girl that adds the innocence and the introduction of a hungry, evil, manipulative wolf makes the story, for some readers, more dramatic or thrilling. I don’t really see the focus as a parable of rape, infantile fantasy, male pregnancy, or sexuality. Granted, the wolf was a predator in every version of the tale. He saw a little girl walking alone as the ideal prey, because he viewed her and her grandmother as less likely to be able to defend themselves and get away from him. Although cannibalism, appetite, and gluttony are included in the story, I don’t think they are a part of the primary focus either. They may be factors used to add terror and intrigue, to keep the readers guessing and asking for more details.

Of all the versions of LRRH that we read, “The Little Girl and the Wolf” was my favorite! I found it more entertaining and far less gruesome than the other versions. This version relates to more of a modern-day audience, with the mention of the Metro-Goldwyn lion, Calvin Coolidge, and the automatic shotgun. Although I believe this story is focused more on entertainment, it does have a short moral, implying that little girls are not as naïve as they were in the early LRRH days, as children are exposed to and aware of so much more now than they were in the past.

According to Shavit, Perrault wrote for two different audiences, children and his friends, the literary elite, eliminating the more vile aspects of the story and transforming LRRH into a “pretty, well-bred, and genteel” girl. The Grimms wrote during a time emphasizing the education of children. Thus, “Little Red Cap” focuses on teaching lessons to children on obedience and the consequences of disobedience.

“The Werewolf”, a very dark tale, obviously, was not written with the same audiences in mind as Perrault’s and the Grimms’ versions. This tale truly is not written for young children. It clearly targets an adult audience, and maybe even older children. However, because of the “darkness” and gloom of the story, it does not seem to be written for the literary elite as the aforementioned versions were.