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The wolf is often a metaphor for a sexually predatory man. The wolf is a common predator in the forest and thus is a natural choice for the story unlike the witch, ogre or troll found in other tales. Wolf: The wolf has become a popular image in fairy tales thanks to this tale and The Tale of the Three Little Pigs. Later versions have included other food items, most often a bottle of wine.ĥ. Cake, and this little pot of butter: These are the food items originally described by Charles Perrault. You can read the Grimms' version here: Little Red Cap.Ĥ. Through the moralizing of both Perrault and Grimms', critics explain that the tale moved away from its obvious sexual and horrific tones, to more closely resemble a fable or cautionary tale (Tatar 1992).

Perrault adds the moral to "not talk to strangers" at the end of the tale. The Grimms, however, added an admonition from the mother to not stray from the path, adding a moral message to children. Go, my dear, and see how your grandmother is doing: In Charles Perrault's version of the tale, the mother simply instructs the young girl to take the items to her grandmother. Scholars also debate whether the red garment is a hood or a cap according to the earliest versions which more closely translate from the French and German to "cap."ģ. Some scholars, such as Erich Fromm consider the hood to symbolize menustration and the approaching puberty of the young character who wears it. Today, some little girls still want to wear red capes for Halloween or other imaginative play.

In the height of portraiture in the nineteenth century, many young daughters of wealthy families were painted wearing red capes or hoods. Little Red Riding Hood: The red riding hood is a popular and familiar symbol to much of Europe and North America.

Perrault introduced the color red to the tale when he first wrote it.Ģ. It is also the color of blood with all of its connotations. At one time, it was not worn by morally upright women thanks to its sinful symbolism. Red: Scarlet or red is a sexually vibrant and suggestive color.