Little Red Riding Hood Comparison Essay

Little Red Riding Hood Comparison The timeless fairytale of a little girl who meets a wolf on her way to Grandma's house was originally passed down through oral tradition from one generation to the next. Over the years, the tale of “Little Red Riding Hood” has undergone several changes since its beginning. However, these changes only became truly apparent once the stories were written down. Charles Perrault wrote one of the first literary version of "Little Red Riding-Hood" in 1697, and since then, there have been many adaptations of this tale, including the Brothers Grimm's "Little Red-Cap." Perrault’s version of “Little Red Riding hood,” is one full of sexual references and symbolism. The most noticeable point of this is when “Little Red Riding Hood took off her clothes and climbed into the bed” (Perrault, 13). This line alone shows the amount of sexuality that is referenced in this story. Another reference to the sexuality can be seen in the final line of the story, when “the wicked wolf threw himself on Little Red Riding Hood” (Tatar, 13). With these sexual references in mind, many other parts of the story could be considered sexual references. For example, Little Red Riding Hood’s red hood could be viewed as a sign of maturation on part of Little Red Riding Hood.

This can also be noticed in the fact that the encounter between the wolf and Little Red Cap takes place outside of the bed. As well as that both parties in this encounter remained clothed. There is also the fact that the mother is a little more dominant in this story, when she tells Little Red Cap to “walk properly, and not stray from the path” (Grimm, 14). This excerpt can be seen as the mother reiterating proper social norms to a young child, instead of telling an adult or older