Coming of Age Little Red Riding Hood

Sexuality has always played a big role in fairytales but it starts to become a problem

when they start associating it with children and rape. Desire is addressed in fairy tales on various

levels. In some fairy tales, sexual desire is often associated with the desire to have power over

another person. Gender roles play a huge part of fairytales, whereas the males are dominant and

violent by nature, whereas females are submissive and respectful. Most of the time, the male

would preserve the female’s life with some kind of clever tactics. Little Red Riding Hood is a

coming of age story where menstruation is symbolized by the red color of the girl’s cape, and her

journey into the forest has been seen as a voyage of sexual initiation.

Little Red Riding Hood presents herself naive. The main character of the tale, Little Red

Riding Hood, is characterized as a very kind, young girl. Everyone she encounters, especially her

grandmother, adores her. However, she is somewhat too naive and trusting toward strangers,

which causes her a lot of trouble. “The poor child, who did not know that it is dangerous to stay

and listen to a wolf, told him: ‘I am going to see my grand- mother, and I’m taking her a bun and

a little pot of butter that my mother is sending me with” (Perrault 99). Little Red Riding Hood

does not follow her intuition; rather, she believes everything she is told and trusts blindly. Author

M. Garner claims that the mother’s need to caution her to stay on the route shows that Red

Riding Hood may be a little rebellious, as suggested by the red color of her cloak. The color red

denotes a desire to stand out and reject class limitations, and the fact that it is a “riding” coat

indicates a wish to ride like someone from the upper class.

Little Red Riding Hood is a coming of age tale in which a young girl who is approaching

sexual maturity experiences raw male sexuality. This tale represents the transition of a young

child into maturity, a coming of age story about male heroes and a girl’s journey towards

womanhood, “…and come and get into bed with me.’ Little Red Riding-Hood undressed and got

into the bed, where she was very surprised to see what her grandmother looked like without any

clothes on”. (Perrault 101). Author Michelle Scalise Sugiyama explains how each interpretation

of this tale has some strengths and weaknesses. Some interpretations are that a powerful

individual overcoming a weaker one leads itself to a variety of metaphorical applications; for

example, predation and rape. Others see it as a “warning tale” for little girls to stay out the forest

and to know how to defend oneself against a particular animal. At the end of Perrault’s story, he

explains the moral by demonstrating how young children—mainly attractive, charming girls—

make mistakes and frequently suffer consequences. Allowing people they don’t know to

continue conversing with them when they meet.

The “Little Red Riding Hood” stories teach girls and women how to be fearless and

independent in the face of the wolf. “I call them wolves, but you will find, That some are not the

savage kind, Not howling, ravening or raging; Their manners seem, instead, engaging, They’re

softly-spoken and discreet.” (Perrault 103), This quote from the primary source suggests to not

judge a book by its cover by saying that not all men are violent; instead they are genuine and

gentle if you get to know them. The author offers an active Little Red Riding Hood who takes

control of her own destiny as well as her grandmothers and wolf. The author breaks down

traditional assumptions by making her an active protagonist in this adventure novel.

Little Red Riding Hood’s conflict with the wolf represents many of the same issues that

women face today in terms of sex and gender relations. Little Red is a beautiful and innocent

girl who draws in people. “Once upon a time, in a village, there lived a little girl, the prettiest

you wish to see” (Perrault 99) The author also gives an understanding of how the Big Bad Wolf

manipulated her through the dynamics of gender and power. This sense of being “hunted” results

from centuries of cautionary tales that are ingrained in our lives and brains from an early age.

Perrault believed that women should obey men in order to stay out of danger, which is ironically

reflected in the wolf’s authority over Little Red Riding Hood.

In “Little Red Riding Hood Then and Now”, Faye R. Johnson and Carole M. Carroll

points out that a number of significant changes that impacted the story took place in the century

that separated Perrault’s and the Grimms’ versions. The Grimms version is more straightforward,

providing explanations that clarify the social meanings. lessens the focus on Grandmother’s

weakness and frequently skips to bring up her illness. have minimized the existence of violence,

sometimes even to the wolves. . Whereas “Perrault’s tale is seen as tongue-in-cheek, the wolf as

male seducer provides humorous training in appropriate sexual conduct”, as authors, Johnson

and Carole state.

The Grimms’ version of Perrault’s “Little Red Riding Hood,” for instance, substitutes the

now-famous happy ending for the bitter one. Even though punishment was still required, being

afraid takes the place of being killed and eaten, allowing the lesson to educate rather than destroy

the character. For the purpose of maintaining the patriarchal worldview he wishes to continue,

Charles Perrault’s “Little Red Riding Hood” basically directs its morality toward the acceptance

of traditional roles, leaving out any mention of feminine sexual impulses. In Perrault’s version,

the strongly sexual references are avoided in favor of unquestioning loyalty to the wolf, or

patriarchy.

In conclusion, Fairy tales deal with desire in a number of ways. In several fairy tales, the

desire for control over another person is closely linked to sexual desire. Fairytales heavily

feature gender roles, with males being violent and powerful by nature and females being

dependent and polite. Most of the time, the male would use deception of some form to protect

the female.