Gender Stereotypes in Little Red Cap and The Grandmother

1040 Words3 Pages

The folk tale of “Little Red Riding Hood” has numerous variations and interpretations depending on what recorded version is being read or analyzed. “Little Red Cap,” by the Grimm Brothers, and “The Grandmother,” as collected by Achille Millien, are different in numerous ways: the depth of the narrative structure, characters involved, length – yet, the moral lesson is largely unchanged between the two versions. One of the more glaring differences between the two versions is the way that the narrator and the actions of the characters are used to describe the young girl, female, and the wolf, male. Being either female or male are matters of biological makeup. The characteristics of femininity and masculinity that are associated with being female or male, however, are socially and culturally defined. How do these different descriptions inform gender construction, and more specifically, how do gender constructions help to naturalize stereotypes within the collective conscience of society?
The Grimm Brother’s version of the story begins with the sentence, “Once upon a time there was a sweet little girl” (Grimm). From the beginning of the story the reader understands that the focal point of the narrative will be on a female character. The female is defined as being “sweet.” The next sentence of the narrative begins with the phrase, “Everyone who saw her liked her [. . .]” (Grimm). It is safe for the reader to conclude that the reason everyone likes her is because she is considered “sweet.” The implication of this construct is that being “sweet,” and its assumed manifestations - the act of politeness, agreeability, well-mannered, etc. - is a highly regarded and socially defined feminine quality that leads to social acceptance, which is...

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...the young girl prior to meeting the wolf, how the young girl strays from the ideals of femininity once she meets the wolf, and last, what is inherently not feminine as represented by the wolf and his masculine characteristics. The wolf does not naturalize masculine characteristics within the reader because he still acts somewhat like a wolf, he is used as a tool to further naturalize the ideals of femininity, by standing in stark contrast to them.

Works Cited
Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. Little Red Riding Hood and Other Tales of Aarne-Thompson-Uther. Trans. D.L. Ashliman. Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts. University of Pittsburgh, 1996-2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.
Millien, Achille. Little Red Riding Hood and Other Tales of Aarne-Thompson-Uther. Trans. D.L. Ashliman. Folklore and Mythology Electronic Texts. University of Pittsburgh, 1996-2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2014.

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