Blog Post #1

Question 1.

I have read the Italy/Austria version of Little Red Riding Hood, entitled Little Red Hat. Unfortunately, this version of the story does not include a happy ending. Instead of a wolf, an ogre is the main antagonist of the story. Also, the grandmother and Red Riding Hood are brutally slain and consumed by the ogre. I particularly did not prefer this ending of the story. However, I did find some interesting points in the story. Red Riding Hood goes down a stone path to her grandmother's house, while the ogre goes through the thorn path to go to the grandmother first. I think that the stone path might symbolize a path of goodness and virtue because Red Riding Hood goes down that path with good intentions. In contrast, the path of thorns might symbolize malice and evil doing because the ogre goes down that path with intentions to kill both Red Riding Hood and the grandmother. When Red Riding Hood enters the house, she notices that the latch and various items from the cupboard were bloody and revealing to be body parts belonging to her grandmother. The ogre, dressed as Red's grandmother, orders Red to eat the various body parts. "Just eat and keep quiet!" the ogre orders to Red. Red obeys the ogre and eventually ends up being consumed by the ogre. Red's obedience to the ogre reveals her innocence yet ignorance in her character.

Question 3.

 Catherine Orenstein has written an article entitled "Dances With Wolves." This article explore the story of Little Red Riding Hood as a story of seduction and the loss of innocence, instead of the tale of a young girl being saved from a wolf by a huntsmen. Orenstein explains the symbolism of the red hood as a woman's virginity and virtue. The Wolf represents a man who has sex with women and takes their virginity. "In the French slang, when a girl lost her virginity it was said that elle avoit vû le loup — she’d seen the wolf." I think that a really interesting point was made in the article. It is not directly quoted by Orenstein, but from the creator of Little Red Riding Hood, Perrault. Perrault quotes, "Now, as then, ‘tis simple truth — Sweetest tongue has sharpest tooth!" I think that this is a very interesting point made in the article. I agree with this quote. Usually, the most harmful are seen as someone who seems sweet and kind. Most use a "sweet tongue" to lure someone in, in order to perform immoral acts. The wolf in the story made himself seem sweet to Red. This resulted in her and her grandmother being eaten by the wolf.