Abundez 1

Sin Abu

Professor: Jackie

English 101

April 25, 2016

Change of views

The famous "Little Red Riding Hood" began as an oral folk tale that has repeatedly been

told to generations of children growing up. Over the course of time, the story original form was

adapted to suit different cultural norms and preferences. The "Little Red Riding Hood," by

Charles Perrault, and the "Little Red Cap," by Brothers Grimm have become the classic stories of

the tale and have served as the models for numerous literacy variations. An analysis of Perrault's

and Brothers Grimm's versions of the traditional fairy tale reveal a similar plot, yet differ widely

in their interpretation of symbolism, the role of women, audience, and morality.

The Grimm's version of this tale was published centuries after the Perrault's version,

nonetheless both plots are similar. The elements in both versions are strikingly similar in

describing the grandmother, the mother, the little girl, and the wolf. Similarly, both versions

portrait three different generations of women, the beginning of tales mentioned the oldest and

progressed on to the youngest. In the Perrault's and Brother Grimm's versions, the grandmother

is a critical character from the very beginning of the story. It is she that demonstrates her

affection to the little girl by offering the gift of the red hood in the Perrault's version and the red

cap in the Grimm's version that characterizes, even names, the little girl. In these two versions,

the wolf is the incarnation of evil, and the little girl represents innocence. Despite the fact that

the plot is almost the same, the symbolic sexual difference is pronounced.
 Abundez 2

Unlike, the Perrault's version, the Grimm's version of the tale is far less sexually charged.

The most obvious sexual symbolism in Perrault's version is that of the little girl getting

undressed and climbing into bed with the wolf, which does not occur in the Grimm's version.

Perrault portrays the wolf as a stereotypical masculine male through his deception and greed.

During the seventeenth century, there was a virtual epidemic of men taking children and harming

them (Zipes 10). In Perrault's tale, the little girl's beauty is a major target for the wolf's sexual

needs and desires. Reading between the lines, the girl being eaten by the wolf is a symbol for

rape. In both versions, the red cap and red hood are symbolic to sexuality since the color red can

be allusive to sin, blood, lust, and passion. The Brothers Grimm kept the red cap but provide a

less of an erotic tone, expressing a message that reflects the values of good moral behavior and

not sexual warnings. In the Grimm's version, the mother, in the beginning, warns the little girl

"don't stray from the path" (14), implying to refrain from acting outside of social norms.

Additionally, the little girl and the grandmother are saved by the heroic wood cutter. The

Huntsman represents an authoritative father figure, describing the context of the new nuclear

family (Zipes 39). In the same way, both versions mirror the role of women during the cultural

era the tales were written.

Another analysis of the difference between Perrault and Brothers Grimm focused on the

role of women in the story. The Grimms and Perrault were accustomed to different cultures.

Perrault was French, and the Grimms were German, both versions are different in describing the

role of women. Little Red in the French version was devoured by the wolf, whereas in the

German version, she is rescued by the woodcutter, apparently reflecting the cultural differences.

Perrault’s tale was written in the seventeenth century in France; during that time, it was believed

that female promiscuity was destroying the family and social values (Zipes 8). Also, Perrault’s
 Abundez 3

tale reflects the seventeenth century culture belief that women were blamed for the crime of rape

because women were perceived mentally and physically weak. In Perrault's version, the little girl

is promiscuous who falls for a womanizer, who is represented by the wolf. Therefore, the little

girl is responsible for being eaten, because of her weak mentality. As opposed to Perrault's

version, the young girl represents the typical nineteenth century child who is obedient and well

behaved. The Grimm's tale depicts the patriarchal rules of female obedience, and the male

dominated society at the time. The Brothers Grimm modified the story for a younger audience by

removing Perrault's sexual references.

The "Little Red Riding Hood" sought to appeal the erotic side of the adult readers who

took pleasure in sexual stories, whereas Grimm's version is more appealing to children. Perrault

incorporates sexual symbols in his story, such as the undressed child. This tale by Perrault was

more than likely written to the influence of the seventeenth century era; the period were men

with werewolf traits were tried for harming, killing, and devouring children (Zipes 19). On the

other hand, the Brothers Grimm story is not intended as a warning for sexually promiscuous

females, but rather a tale for young children. Brothers Grimm removed Perrault's sexual threat

through the introduction of the male hero who saves the little red cap girl. Hence, their version is

intended for a younger audience, rather than women of the marrying age. Most important, each

of these tales gives a moral to the story and turns it into a lesson.

As the story closes, Perrault offers an ironic moral in verse form warning young girls to

beware of strangers, whereas Brothers Grimm are more intent on telling children to obey their

mothers. Perrault explained the morale at the end of the tale so that no doubt is left to his intent

on warning young ladies that "tame wolves are the most dangerous of all" (13). Implying

innocent young girls must be wary of predation from males, which may mislead such young
 Abundez 4

ladies into partaking in sexual intercourse. Contrary to Brothers Grimm version that involves a

cautionary role of the mother warning Little Red Cap not to stray from the path of her way

through the woods, this is not the case in Perrault's tale. Grimms emphasize the importance of

children to stay on the correct path and be obedient to their parents. At the end of Grimm's tale,

upon being saved by the Huntsman, the little girl noted: "never again will you stray from the path

and go into the woods, when your mother has forbidden it" (16). Apparently, these two versions

differ significantly in morality and therefore contain different endings.

Although the essence of the story remains similar to that of Perrault's version, the

Grimm's version is characterized by a positive end, a tale with an objective of giving hope for the

future. As opposed to Perrault's tragic ending, a story containing a dual purpose of warning and

initiation. Perrault's version ends by the wolf asking the little girl to climb into the bed before

been devoured by the wolf, were the story ends. The wolf becomes the conqueror of the

encounter, and there is no happy ending. However, the Grimm's story does not stop there. The

ending is modified by incorporating the arrival of a hunter who rescues the little girl and her

grandmother. The evil wolf is punished and put to the death.

Perrault and the Brothers Grimm versions became so crucial in the socialization that

apparently they generated a literary debate about sexual roles and behaviors. Both versions

incorporated current themes from the era they were written, with Perrault addressing the violence

and rape toward women in the seventeenth century and the Brothers Grimm referencing the

nuclear family in the nineteenth century. Moreover, Perrault's morality tale, warns young girls

and females that wolves may lurk in every guise whereas Brothers Grimm intended message is to

instruct children in the art of good behavior. Despite the conflicting versions, the "Little Red

Riding Hood" and "Little Red Cap" are still being told to children around the world. These two
 Abundez 5

standard versions teach us valuable life lessons as the tales mirror many of the same conflicts

that exist in today's society.

 Abundez 6

Works Cited

Tatar, Maria, editor. The Classic Fairy Tales: A Norton Critical Edition. W.W. Norton, 1999.

Perrault, Charles. “Little Red Riding Hood.” Tatar, Classic Fairy Tales, pp. 11-13

Grim, Jacob and Wilhelm. “Little Red Cap.” Tatar, Classic Fairy Tales, pp. 13-16

Zipes, Jack, editor. The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood. Routledge, 1993.