Reading Notes Little Red Cap Part A

 

Little Red Cap on her way to deliver goodies to her ill Grandmother.

Image from David Healy.

For this week, I want to focus on the original story of Little Red Riding Hood told by the Brothers Grimm. Little Red Cap, as she is called in this story, is very selfless and sweet. She goes out of her way to do things for her family members even if it is something that could put her into danger. She was also fearless in a sense, she encountered the wolf in the woods but she was not afraid of him. She was polite and asked him how his day was as she continued to walk along the path through the woods. Little Red Cap seems very innocent and naïve, but her kindheartedness shines through in everything she does within this story. The only time Little Red Cap felt afraid in this story was when she went to her Grandmother's house and the door was already opened. She knew something was wrong but she did not want to leave her Grandmother's house without doing what she came there to do. The wolf ate Grandmother and Little Red Cap, but the Huntsman who came by the house chopped the wolf up and found Little Red and Grandmother alive and whole inside of the Wolf's belly. They all came out and lived happily after this, according to the original story. I want to take Little Red's personality traits and change them up a bit. Instead of being sweet and innocent, I am going to make her rude and stingy to the Wolf which is why he goes to her Grandmother's house to attack her. I think this would make the story much more interesting and a little more frightening as well!

Bibliography: The Grimm Brothers' Children's and Household Tales translated by D. L. Ashliman (1998-2013).