Symbolism In Little Red Riding Hood

Folktales such as the “Little Red Riding Hood” by Charles Perrault and “The Grandmothers Tale” told by Louis and François Briffault tell us how appearance and symbolism of different settings develop meanings about innocence and maturity. In the “Little Red Riding Hood” by Perrault conveys to us the meaning behind the red hood worn by the little girl, and how that captures the interest of sexual predators. Perrault also expresses how the little red riding hood was not mature enough to resist the approach of the wolf leading to her demise. “The Grandmother’s Tale” shows us how maturation influences the decisions made by the little girl through the use of symbolism.

The Red Hood in Charles Perrault’s, “Little Red Riding Hood” carried a very vital role because it was the motif that was significant to the story. It symbolized the love of her grandmother, being the person who originally gave her granddaughter the red hood, and also the admiration of the other villagers and the distinguishable identification of the little girl. She wore the hood so much that everyone in the village who saw her started to call her the little red riding hood because it fit her so well. Thus the hood was used as a metonymy for the girl as the hood was becoming inseparable from the little girl. As mentioned in the story, little red riding hood was already the prettiest girl in the world even before she had the red hood, nevertheless she became even prettier after wearing the gift from her grandmother which enhanced her beauty, making her standout even more. Effectively making her the prettiest in the village. The red hood had a lot of implicit symbolism with the colour red already representing many different things such as sex, virginity, seduction, lust...

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...she wanted to become more sexually active. Which can be seen when the cat in the grandmother’s tale warns the little girl that if she eats the flesh and blood of her grandmother, she will become the next victim of the wolf. This action of the little girl replacing her grandmother can also be found in Perrault’s version when the Little Red Riding Hood received the gift, a red hood from her grandmother. The red hood was a gift to show the transformation of ignorance and purity into maturity and lust and by wearing it the little red riding hood had become sexually attractive.

In conclusion, both versions of the story portrayed a little girl taking the first step into the real world, showing her maturity, but unfortunately getting deceived by a wolf leading to the little girl making the wrong decisions and ending up with her getting eaten up in Perrault’s version.