Fairy Tales Vs. Perrault's Little Red Riding Hood

Little Red Riding Hood is probably one of the most annotated and analyzed of all the fairy tales, and there are several versions of the tale to study, all with a slight variation in their moral lesson, interpretation and theme surrounding Little Red Riding Hood’s escapade to grandmother’s house. It is most commonly believed that the French author Charles Perrault was the first to publish a written version of this fairy tale in 1697. However, Perrault most likely composed the tale of Little Red Riding Hood from pre-existing folk tales that had been passed down by oral story telling. Over the centuries many other versions of Little Red Riding Hood were published under alternate titles and continue to be shared with generations of both the young
and old.
No two versions of the Little Red Riding Hood Tale are entirely the same and all have a unique ending, sometimes happy, as in the case of the brothers Grimm’s “Little Red Cap”, and sometimes not, as in Perrault’s “Little Red Riding Hood.” All of the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tales commonly had a happy ending, and in the case of Little Red Cap they added a huntsman to the story who saved Little Red Cap and her grandmother after they had been eaten by the wolf.
The Grimm Brothers even included and alternate happy ending in which the grandmother devises a plan to trick and kill the wolf. EXPOUND ON GRIMMS VERSION COMPARTIVLY. Alternatively, in Perrault’s version of Little Red Riding Hood, she is gobbled up by the wolf and never to be heard from again. Perrault’s version of the tale is the one that seems most pervasive throughout the centuries, and although the general moral of the story may seem simple, the complex and sometime convoluted symbolism of Perrault’s “original” version cannot be ignored. As noted by Heidi Anne Heiner in her notes in “Annotations For Little Red Riding Hood”, the color red “is a sexually vibrant and suggestive color…Perrault introduced the color red to the tale when he first wrote it.” Heiner also notes that Little Red Riding Hood’s hood is considered to “symbolize menstruation and the approaching puberty of the young character who wears it.” Heiner notes that the other major character in the tale, the Wolf, “is often a metaphor for a sexually predatory
man.” Heiner goes on to note the symbolism behind the actions of the wolf and the words spoken by the wolf. Heiner notes the sexual nature in Perrault’s version as the wolf “ate her up in a moment” referring to the grandmother, and when he asks Little Red Riding Hood to “come get into bed with me”, both have sexual connotations and can possibly be seen as metaphors for rape. In the end of Perrault’s version the wolf “ate her all up”, referring to Little Red Riding Hood. Here Heiner quotes Bruno Bettelheim’s analysis in The Uses of Enchantment (1976) that Perrault’s version of the tale “deliberately threatens the child with its anxiety-producing ending.” All in all the general moral of the story is that children, especially attractive, young girls, should never talk to strangers, least they fall prey a predator like the wolf and get into a bad situation that may quite possibly cause their own demise and that of others they love.
While one might think that Perrault’s version no longer applies to us,
Expound on the sexual innuendos within Perrault’s version of Little RED Riding Hood’s escapades and how Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf continue to influence today’s society and culture.
EXPOUND ON THE IDEA OF THE SEXUAL NATURE OF THE STORY AND THE WOLF/MAN AS A SEXUAL PREDATOR
EXPOUND on the Sexual Predator versus the woman portrayed as the victim – pull from and Cite “I Heard The Wolf Call My Name”
Fairy tales, in general, are popular all around the world; they are known most countries and span across many different cultures. The story of Little Red Riding Hood in particular remains significant in both advertising and multi-media sub-cultures. In the article “Dances with Wolves” by Catherine Orenstein, which was printed in Ms. Magazine, the author explores the way in which Little Red Riding Hood has evolves over the centuries. Orenstein notes that from the feminist’s perspective it is recognizes that fairytales and folklore serve the purpose in society of teaching lessons to young boys and girls and that versions of this tale have changed with the times. No longer is innocence, chastity and virginity the feminine ideal of the times, as it was at the time of the first published version of the story in 1697. Perrault’s version was a warning of the danger of strangers and men who may have wrong intentions for young and innocent girls. Conversely, the modern day use of the “Little Red Riding Hood” metaphor in film and advertising, is directed toward young girls and women, and often shows women (Little Red Riding Hood) as passive and helpless, yet beautiful in her RED lipstick, which attracts the attention of the wolf (or a man), who lurking in the background. Orenstein notes this as a negative inference of the male-female relationship for young girls to aspire to.

Conclusion Paragraph: Advertising, Media and Film perpetuate these themes.
Why does this remain an acceptable scenario in today’s society?
Why does it “sell” for advertisers and film makers?

Works Cited
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“PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE: LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD IN COLLEGE.” Sexuality & Culture. Spring2005, Vol. 9 Issue 2, p87-92. 6p. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/ Chase Jr., Richard and Teasley, David. “Little Red Riding Hood: Werewolf and prostitute.” Historian. Summer 95, Vol. 57 Issue 4, p769, 8p. Web. 3 Aug. 2013. .
Davis, John K. “The Origins of Little Red Riding Hood.” Suite101. Web. 31 Aug. 2013.

Harris, Paul. (2011). “Hollywood wants Red Riding Hood and Snow White to weave a box office spell.” The Observer. 05 March, 2011. Retrieved from http://observer.theguardian.com/
Heiner, Heidi Anne. “Annotations For Little Red Riding Hood – Notes”. Surlalunefairytales. http://www.surlalunefairytales.com/ridinghood/notes.html n.d. Web. 12 Sep. 2013.
Hurst, Lynda. (2009). “Red Riding Hood 's not out of the woods yet.” The Toronto Star. 13 Sep.
2009. Retrieved from http://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2009/09/13/red_riding_hoods_not_out_of_the_woods_yet.html
Lake, Sherry. “Annotations For Little Red Riding Hood”. http://people.virginia.edu/~sah/lrrh/rrhood.html 09 Dec. 1999. Web. 12 Sep., 2013.
Orenstein, Catherine. “Dances with Wolves Little Red Riding Hood 's Long Walk in the
Woods”.
MsMagazine. Summer 2004. Web. 04 Sep. 2013.
Windling, Terri. “The Path of Needles or Pins: Little Red Riding Hood.” Endicott-Studio. Web.
04 Sep. 2013.
WriteWork contributors. “I Heard The Wolf Call My Name”. WriteWork.com. WriteWork.com, 10 May, 2001. Web. 12 Sep. 2013.