Wolf And Werewolf: A Literary Analysis

Folktales or Fairy Tales? Both give us of a false sense of reality; there is a good side with no evil within the world and a side that scares us with the harsh bitter truth. The folktale versions of Little Red Riding hood, “Wolf” and “Werewolf” by Francesca Block and Angela Carter, depict that “it [is] a wicked world ” filled with “cold weather and cold hearts” through their experiences (Block 1; Carter 1 ). Although the protagonists in “Wolf” and “Werewolf” bear harsh and cruel environments, the differences in their self esteem and reactions to certain difficulties are conflicting.
For example, “Wolf” by Francesca Block illustrates the short story on a more personal level than “Werewolf” because the story is referred to in first person

As a result, the protagonist in does not live in fear of the darkness, rather she anticipates it and “seiz[es] her knife on the beast” (Carter 1). Therefore, the protagonist in “The Werewolf” is not portrayed as the young, mistreated protagonist because she has already gone through the transition of having to grow up and fend for herself. For example, after killing the beast on her way to her grandmother’s house, the protagonist states, “[the] wolves are less brave than they seem” to reflect how the protagonist has a high self esteem and is confident in her abilities to fend for herself (Carter 1). Due to the history and harsh conditions of the Northern Country where the protagonist resides, their hearts form superstitions that everyone is a witch or a devil. Because of this, innocent people get stoned or hurt because the whole town is looking for reasons to prove certain people's lives that are too good are supernatural

The world seen through a child’s eye is not a realistic vision of the world. Therefore, the protagonist in “Wolf” has to overcome that innocence and initiate a transformation into the real world lifestyle and accept the world for what it truly is: wicked. Although, the protagonist gives the reader hope that even though the world is wicked, we can overcome the evilness as long as we choose to change it. We must persevere and never give up and “just go along until [the trial currently in your life] is over” (Block 5). Also, the reader learns through the protagonist that leaving a bad situation sometimes involves leaving our closest loved ones. Therefore, to escape the beast that is lurking in our lives, we must take care of ourselves initially because even though we may have to leave our loved ones behind, they will “always be with you” no matter what happens (Block