The meaning of Little Red Riding Hood/Little Red Cap - Essay Example

Little Red Riding Hood/Little Red Cap (Children literature) Introduction A lot has been said about little red riding and manyauthors mainly with the same moral teaching to the female gender have rewritten this fairy tale. This is because of their vulnerability to the society. According to Orenstein, most fairy tales started occurring in the 17th century when Sevigne wrote stories to her daughter with intentions of moral teachings (Catherine Orenstein). Sevigne wrote about the stories they amuse the ladies with at Versailles. Most of the fairy tales were meant to promote an upright culture within the society. Little Red Riding Hood is a French tale that tells us about a little girl with a big bad wolf published first by Charles Perrault. The girl is synonymous with her red hooded cap hence the name little red riding hood. In this tale, the girl was on a mission to take some food to her old grandmother who was sickling. In addition to this, the girl was also under strict instructions not to keep off the track until she reaches her destination according to the Grimm’s version (Bottigheimer). On her way, she meets a huge bad wolf who intends to eat her and the food she was carrying. The wolf seductively finds out the girls mission and because of its strength and wit, the wolf engages the little girl to pick some flowers. The wolf runs faster reaches the grandmother’s house and swallows her. The wolf then lies in the bed disguising or posing as the grandmother. When the little girl arrives at her grandmother’s house, she is astonished at the changes in the grandmother’s physical characteristics. The sudden deep voice, body, hands, eyes, and even the mouth astonish her. No sooner did the little girl finish her amusement did the wolf jump on her and devour her. A lumberjack then suddenly appears and finds the bad wolf resting after having a double share of the day’s meal. He slaughters the wolf saves the grandmother and her granddaughter and sets them free. They then fill the wolf’s stomach with big stones, which kills the wolf when he tries to wake up and flee. Theories and Attitudes about Children Little girls are amongst the most vulnerable people in the society and little has been done to ensure that the female gender enjoys equal rights in the society. In relation to the Little Red Riding tale, we learn about several moral lessons. With reference to the modern society, we would translate the wolf into ‘bad guys or people’ in the society who would wish to lure young girls and destroy their future which indeed happens. On the other hand, most authors have interpreted this tale into a sexual harassment theme that indicates the immoral nature of the male gender towards little girls in the society (Spurgeon). The red hood the girl wears in the story indicates blood that is normally shed when these girls are molested and left to die. The society throughout the world has been very keen on this issue and has always tried to protect the little girl in the society. With regard to the 19th century literary analysis of this tale, little girls have been portrayed as lonely people who are not associated with their peers or event their parents consistently during the upbringing (Zipes). This exposes the little girls in the society into more danger as dangerous and tragic people in the society can easily lure them. This accounts for many cases of child trafficking, rape cases, and early marriages in the society. In most cases, little girls are either taken or eaten up by the ‘bad people’ in the society. The author Charles Perrault, has been keen to find out the role of the society on protecting the little girl in the society. The author is very clear and reveals that throughout many cultures, the little girl has been neglected and has been exposed to a lot of danger making her more vulnerable. While exploring the 20th century literary analysis concerning this tale, it is evident that the female gender whether old or young is very vulnerable (Darnton). With regard to this tale for example, it became so easy for the wolf to cheat the grandmother and eats her up because she is unsuspecting and trusting. In addition to this, despite the little girl suspecting that the physical characteristics of her grandmother have changed all of a sudden, she fails to protect herself from the wolf and she is consequently eaten up. The weakness of the female gender is exposed generally throughout the society in the world. The author has been very keen also to demonstrate and portray how children are exposed in the fairy tales. The author Charles Perrault shows how children in most cultures are innocent, naive, and mostly trusting to the unknown, which in this case is the wolf (Maria Tatar). However, the author has gone beyond just the theme of vulnerability and has expressed the theme of gender. For example, the author has portrayed women as kindhearted people and naive also while exposing men to be either cruel or savior. The cruel man in this case is the wolf while the savior who sets the grandmother and her grandchild free is the lumberjack. Traditionally, the author has translated this tale into a ritual that explains the stages a female undergoes before ending up as an adult. For example, the little girl enters a liminal stage when she leaves her home and turns into an adult having learnt a lesson when she is saved form the wolf’s belly. As much as many authors have criticized the role of the female gender in this fairy tale, the mother of the little girl though not so much mentioned, has played a critical role to show the caring and protective nature of a mother. In Grimm’s version of this story, the mother is seen as protective when she tells her daughter not to go off the track. That is an indication of the caring nature of the mother. The author has also portrayed the role of the mother as protective. She does not leave the house and stays home to protect her home while the males are wandering outside like the lumberjack. The protective nature of the mother is further exhibited by the fact that the grandmother is eaten by the wolf while in her house and not anywhere else. The caring, loving, and provider of the family nature of the mother is also portrayed by the author. For example, the mother provides the food to the little girl to take to her grandmother. The food is so delicious that it attracts the attention of the wolf. In Grimm’s version, the woman is the voice of reasoning as the mother instructs the child to walk properly and behave well while on her way not to break the bottle of milk. However, the fact that the mother does not leave the house is our concern as this exposes the little girl. Conclusion Little Red Riding fairy tale reminds us in the society that we have failed in our role to protect the little in the society. The tale exposes the weakness that the female gender possesses but still the tale reminds us about the caring and protective nature of the mother in the society. I would therefore recommend that mothers in the society take their roles and protect the little girl. However, this should not be an individual task but a collective task within the society. Works Cited Bottigheimer, Ruth. "Before Contes du temps passe (1697): Charles Perrault's Griselidis, Souhaits and Peau." The Romantic Review (2008): Volume 99, Number 3. pp. 175-189. Catherine Orenstein. Little Red Riding Hood Uncloaked: Sex, Morality and the Evolution of a Fairy Tale. New York : Oxford, 2006. Darnton, Robert. The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History. New York: Vintage Books, 1985. Maria Tatar. The Annotated Brothers Grimm. New York: Norton & company, 2004. Spurgeon, Maureen. Red Riding Hood. London: Brown Watson, 1990. Zipes, Jack. The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge, 1993. Read More