Once upon a time, Little Red Riding Hood was a story told between
peasants to pass the time while working the fields. As the seasons changed, so did she. Multiple versions of her story sprouted, each
giving her a different character, thus, a different face.
Charles Perrault created his version 1697, in a time of nobles and
peasants, which would make sense that the moral of his story would involve
chastity and obedience. This child
quickly became a victim of the Wolf, falling easily for its deception. Perrault
used Wolf as a metaphor, "a stand in for male seducers who lure young
women into their beds" (Tatar 5). He made her responsible for the Wolf eating
her because she spoke to a stranger. The
ending was a moral note for women to be "pretty, well-bred, and
genteel" (Tatar 13) and to be careful of men since the tame wolves "are
the most dangerous of all."
As the years go by, the later versions become more risqué and violent. Roald Dahl created his version in 1995. This was a time were women were firmly entrenched as equals due to the Women's Rights Movement 70 years prior. This version was the more refined tale of James Thurber's 1940 edition of Little Red Riding Hood. Dahl empowered Red Riding Hood by giving her the power of observation and deductive reasoning. By using rhyming, he created a fast paced tale with Red Riding Hood using her quick wit to retaliate against the wolf by shooting him with a pistol and eventually wearing his skin as a cloak. This shows how society's view on what is accepted is changing in regards to women's rights. Women now rights to defend themselves instead of relying on men and expecting a metaphorical knight in shining armor to save them.
As the years go by, the later versions become more risqué and violent. Roald Dahl created his version in 1995. This was a time were women were firmly entrenched as equals due to the Women's Rights Movement 70 years prior. This version was the more refined tale of James Thurber's 1940 edition of Little Red Riding Hood. Dahl empowered Red Riding Hood by giving her the power of observation and deductive reasoning. By using rhyming, he created a fast paced tale with Red Riding Hood using her quick wit to retaliate against the wolf by shooting him with a pistol and eventually wearing his skin as a cloak. This shows how society's view on what is accepted is changing in regards to women's rights. Women now rights to defend themselves instead of relying on men and expecting a metaphorical knight in shining armor to save them.
Work Cited
Tatar,
Maria. "Little Red Riding Hood." The
Classic Fairy Tales. Ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company Inc, 1999. ix
- 22. Print.
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