Riding Red Cap

Out of my irrational, neurotic fear of futility i have succumb to the energy suck that is the summer course. In an effort to avoid anything terribly challenging i took Children's Lit, which, as it turns out is significantly more difficult than one would think. The most interesting subject I've discovered so far is the folktale "Little Red Riding Hood". Below are my study notes. I know you don't care but i thought it was interesting & it's MY blog so whatever, go write your own blog. Cunt. 

Moral : Whatever their guise, a wolf is capable of making a fallen woman out of any sweet unsuspecting virgin. 

Perrault first wrote "Little Red Riding Hood" possibly as a cautionary tale for young women to avoid the blatantly sexual devouring wolf. It focuses on vanity and an unconscious sexuality, which is summarily punished. In the story Red Riding Hood undresses & climbs into bed with the wolf immediately after arrival. Within the context of this story Riding Hood makes no effort to escape his advances or fight back, making us believe that she's either incredibly stupid or is hoping to be seduced. 

The Grimm's Brothers also wrote a version of the story entitled "Little Red Cap", in the Grimm's Brothers story a woodcutter (representative of the father figure) rescues red riding cap and her grandmother from the wolf, where as in Perrault's version the wolf devours the little girl. 

Motif: Pedophilia. The wolf doesn't directly differentiate women by age. But is intent on having the younger of the two. 

Symbol: The Red Cap. Symbolizes violent emotion/ sexual emotion. Red is representative of blood & in turn, sexual maturity. The cap comes from the grandmother, demonstrating a transfer of sexual attractiveness, further accentuated by the grandmother's being too sick and weak to even answer the door. It's suggested in the text that Red Riding Cap is too young to manage the symbolic weight of what she's wearing.