Thought Paper

Little Red Riding Hood by the Brothers Grimm

            As a child, I remember reading the story of the girl in the red hood, her grandmother, and the brave huntsman who saved them from a hungry wolf. I enjoyed the tale purely for its theme of good vs. evil and the suspense of the main character’s fate, but the most important aspect that I remember is how my mom used this story to teach me a lesson about strangers. As I’ve gotten older, my interpretation of the story has changed. Or rather, I started interpreting the story through my own reasoning. This shift in perspective is common as we grow up and become more independent, learning to look at the world from our own understanding, but these early lessons can still influence our perceptions.

            When I read this version, the original by the Brothers Grimm, I realized that I had never actually read the entire story. In the many various renditions that I read, the story always ended with the huntsman saving Little Red and the grandmother, but it was usually by cutting him open with his axe and killing him. In those versions, the wolf’s belly is not filled with stones and there is no a mention of a second wolf.

I think it is important to consider why these particular details are left out of the child-friendly version. Was Little Red’s method of killing the wolf too violent? Or did it border too closely to revenge, a theme that is not considered appropriate for children? However, why cut out the second wolf? That portion of the story illuminates how Little Red learned from her mistakes with the first wolf, but perhaps the element of drowning was also too violent. Perhaps the adults who determine the sorts of stories that are appropriate for children believed this lesson could be misinterpreted, as well.

The use of these stories by parents and other adults to teach lessons is still a common occurrence. As a future educator, I am being encouraged in my courses to utilize these stories and their themes to teach students important life lessons that will affect their develop and relationships with other people. I can understand the need to choose these lessons carefully and be aware of possible misinterpretations. There is also the danger of traumatizing children if the violent themes are too severe, so I can also understand the reasoning that led to Little Red Hood’s many revisions and alterations. I think the most important factor for the makers of these stories to consider, though, is where exactly children are mentally, what they are capable of handling, and to not determine the stories based on their own perceptions of childhood.

The lesson of the story seems to be a warning against the potential danger of strangers as well as the problems that can be avoided by children obeying their parents. I recently read Pinocchio, which is another story meant to educate children against being naughty and disobedient. In both tales, the main character experiences hardship and trouble due to their waywardness, but they eventually realize their mistakes and learn to avoid those problems in the future.

The ideas presented in our readings about adults being the ones who choose the stories that children read reflect these morals. However, the original versions of both Little Red Cap and Pinocchio are more violent than later renditions. This distinctive difference sheds light on the fact that these gruesome tales were revised to fit the ideal that adults had for younger audiences. The revised tale paired with a story that appeals to parents explains how Little Red Riding Hood became such a popular children’s story.