In the Woods with Red, the Wolf, and Perrault
Over time, the story of Little Red Riding Hood has seen hundreds of different interpretations, versions, and changes. Charles Perrault, a 17th century author, wrote the first publication of this story to reflect that young children, particularly young girls, are wrong to listen to strangers, in this case wolves, and that in doing so, said strangers will undoubtedly get their delicious meal in the end. In Perrault’s version, the male and female are depicted in a very particular way, which is ultimately a reflection of the culture and society of the time. Given this society, and the status of women, it is clear that Perrault is criticizing the gender representation through. While Little Red Riding Hood is a classic tale, it holds a more valuable meaning than society realizes.
The story of Little Red Riding Hood has a particular depiction of both men and women. In the story, men are depicted as a “metaphor, a stand-in for male seducers who lure young women into their beds.” (Tater 5). This depiction, while true, is not complete. The wolf is in fact luring Red into the bed with him, after she has taken her clothes off, and although it is not explicitly stated, the action of a girl removing her clothing and climbing into bed with a man implies a sense of sexuality. Additionally, though, the male is depicted as duplicitous and dominant. In several instances throughout the story, the wolf clearly tricks Red and her grandmother into believing something that is not true. The wolf, in need of getting to Grandmother’s house before Red, decides to have a sort of competition with her, thus tricking her into thinking he is a friend. “Well, well, I think I shall go and see her too. I’ll take the path over here, and you take the path over there, and we’ll see who gets there first.” (Perrault 12) . In turning the way to Grandmother’s house into a race, he is tricking Red into believing that he is a trustworthy man trying to have fun with the child. However, Red trusting the wolf works immensely in his favor because he is able to get to Grandmother’s house first, and “gobble” her up.
The wolf arrived at Grandmother’s house and fooled her into trusting him as well. “It’s your granddaughter, Little Red Riding Hood, and I’m bringing you some cake and a little pot of butter sent by my mother.” (Perrault 12). Later, the wolf also tricks Red into believing that it is her grandmother lying inside of the cabin (Perrault 12). This again plays on the male being depicted as duplicitous, in that the wolf tricked both of these females into believing he is something he is not. The male is also depicted as quite dominant in the story. Not once does the wolf ask, but rather barks demands and firmly states his following actions. The most obvious and bothersome demand comes when he is pretending to be Grandmother. “Put the cakes and the little pot of butter on the bin and climb into bed with me.” (Perrault 12). After climbing into the bed, Red states that her “grandmother’s” characteristics seem askew. Finally, the wolf gobbles the young girl up. This is another allusion to a sense of sexuality, but this combines with the depiction of male dominance. Ultimately, the male is depicted as a dominant figure that disguises his true character, in order to fill his belly and please himself. And, while all males may not be so, it is important to not be tricked into believing that the ones that appear most civilized are in fact the most civilized.
The depiction of women in this tale is quite different than that of the male. To begin, the Perrault describes Red as “a village girl, the prettiest you can imagine.” (Perrault 12). In describing her as such, and by making it clear to the reader that she is young, the vision of a young, fragile, beautiful girl comes to mind. Perrault also depicts women as ignorant, and incapable of determining true from false. In addition, the author alludes that “by speaking to strangers, Red Riding Hood courts her own downfall” (Tater 6). In other words, had Red kept to her path and understood that strangers may be dangerous, she would not have met her death. In addition, the portrayal of femaleness is so very typical. “Perrault’s Little Red Riding Hood has no idea that it is ‘dangerous to stop and listen to wolves.’ She also makes the fatal error of having a ‘good time’ gathering nuts, chasing butterflies, and picking flowers.” (Tater 4). These are the activities that any young girl would do, and it portrays the natural character or a female child. On the other hand, the author is also depicting the female as a girl who actually wants to be seduced. She does, in fact, remove her clothes before getting into the bed with the wolf (Perrault 12), and although she thought it was her grandmother, she was skeptical from the moment she knocked on the door that something was wrong. The ultimate depiction of the female in this story is ignorance, idiocy, and lustful.
The ways in which Perrault depicts men and women is extremely representative of the society and culture of the time. During the 17th century, men were extremely sexist and women were ignorant of the full capacities that their brains held. Not only were women kept from being fully educated, they were also encouraged to show themselves off in a way that would most appeal to the men they were to court. Additionally, Perrault was writing in a time when these stories were entertainment for Kings, who would celebrate with parties and, more specifically, prostitutes. This is a direct link to Perrault’s point that even the men that appear most civilized can, in reality, be the most dangerous. Men played a very dominant role during this time, and they were entitled to act however they so pleased. Women were bound to specific limits, and were not allowed beyond. Falling into traps, and lusting over men were a part of the short list of things a women could do. In his version of Little Red Riding hood, it seems that Perrault was embracing gender representation, but not in the literal sense. The story was telling of how men and women actually were in the society in which he lived. Embraced may not be the accurate term. Perrault rather accepted gender representation, and understood that men were dominant and women were ignorant. The story of Little Red Riding hood does not celebrate these roles; it simply brings them to light.

Works Cited
Perrault, Charles. “Little Red Riding Hoold.” The Classic Fairy Tales. Ed. Maria Tater. A Norton Critical Edition. New York: WW Norton & Co., 1999. 1-12. Print.