Little Red Riding Hood (Perrault)
Little Red Riding Hood
In a small village lived the prettiest little girl anyone had ever seen. Her grandmother, who was extremely fond of her, made her a beautiful red hood that suited her so well that everyone called her Little Red Riding Hood.
One day, her mother baked some cakes and asked Little Red Riding Hood to visit her sick grandmother in another village, bringing her a cake and a little pot of butter.
Little Red Riding Hood set off immediately for her grandmother's house. On her way through the woods, she encountered old Father Wolf, who would have liked to eat her but dared not because of woodcutters working nearby.
When the Wolf asked where she was going, Little Red Riding Hood innocently revealed her destination.
The poor child, not knowing that it was dangerous to stop and listen to a wolf, said: "I am going to see my grandmother, and am taking her a cake and a pot of butter"
She told him her grandmother lived by the mill in the first house of the village. The Wolf suggested they both visit the grandmother, proposing to take different paths to see who would arrive first. He chose the shorter route while Little Red Riding Hood took the longer path, amusing herself by gathering nuts, chasing butterflies, and picking wildflowers.
The Wolf quickly reached the grandmother's house and knocked on the door. Disguising his voice, he pretended to be Little Red Riding Hood, saying he brought gifts from her mother. The bedridden grandmother told him to pull out the peg to open the latch.
Then he sprang upon the poor old lady and ate her up in less than no time, for he had been more than three days without food.
After devouring the grandmother, the Wolf closed the door, lay down in her bed, and waited for Little Red Riding Hood. When she arrived and knocked, the Wolf used the same trick, though his gruff voice initially frightened her. Thinking her grandmother had a cold, she entered when he told her to pull the peg.
The Wolf hid under the bedcovers and told her to put the food on the bin and join him in bed. When Little Red Riding Hood climbed into bed, she was shocked by her grandmother's strange appearance in her nightgown.
She began questioning the unusual features she noticed. When she remarked on the big arms, the Wolf replied they were better for embracing her. She commented on the big legs, and he said they were better for running. She noticed the big ears, and he claimed they were better for hearing.
Finally, Little Red Riding Hood observed the big eyes, which the Wolf said were better for seeing, and then the big teeth.
"Grandmother dear, what big teeth you have!" "The better to eat you with!" With these words the wicked Wolf leaped upon Little Red Riding Hood and gobbled her up.
The tale ended with the Wolf successfully devouring both the grandmother and Little Red Riding Hood, completing his deadly deception. Unlike many later versions of this story, Perrault's original tale offered no rescue or happy ending, serving instead as a cautionary warning about the dangers of trusting strangers and straying from safe paths. The story concluded with the Wolf's triumph, having satisfied his hunger through cunning manipulation of an innocent child's trust and naivety. This dark conclusion emphasized the serious moral lessons Perrault intended to convey about the real dangers that could befall young people who were too trusting or careless in their interactions with unknown individuals, particularly those who might appear friendly but harbor malicious intentions.
Moral
Perrault concluded his tale with a moral poem warning young girls about the dangers of trusting strangers. The moral emphasized that wolves could take many forms, not just literal beasts, but charming and handsome men who might deceive innocent victims.
Never trust a stranger-friend; No one knows how it will end. As you're pretty, so be wise; Wolves may lurk in every guise.