Standing in the face of what you fear most, you’re overcome with so many thoughts and whirling emotions that stir you around until you’re sick on the floor. The little envelope of your instincts tells you to run, but imaginary chains tie you to your spot. In The Company of Wolves by Angela Carter, Little Red Riding Hood is transformed from this scared, tied-to-the-spot girl into an empowered, unafraid young woman. Her encounter with a handsome young man who promises a kiss seduces her into an encounter with his true, beastly form. Instead of running, she sheds her last bit of protection, her clothing, and accepts the wolf as a tender and loving beast. The girl represents something the fairytale world rarely ever sees, given their cautious nature
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Two main symbols stand out: the riding hood and the wolves. The riding hood represents the girl, her emotions toward the wolf, and the emotions of girls before her. Carter states, “She closed the window on the wolves and took off her scarlet shawl, the colour of poppies, the colour of sacrifices, the colour of her menses, and, since her fear did her no good, she ceased to be afraid” (117). Along with sacrifices, poppies are their own grave symbol. Greek and Roman myths often use poppies as flowers for the dead, and using poppies here may symbolize the death of the young girl’s innocence and any trepidation she would have toward the wolf. She sacrifices herself to temptation, but in such a powerful and mature way that shows she is ready to grow up. With the symbol of the riding hood, wolves represent another form of femininity. When she sees the wolves, “Ten wolves; twenty wolves – so many wolves she could not count them, howling in concert as if demented or deranged” (Carter, 117), she could easily run or succumb to fear as her fairytale counterparts had done before her; however, she sympathizes with the wolves, takes a step above their instinctual nature and uses her own power to realize that they are hurt, desperate animals. This pack also represents the men that try to seduce young women into their power play, taking away their defenses with fear tactics and domination. The girl disputes this by seeing …show more content…
On page 110, she states that the wolves eyes, “shine like candle flames, yellowish, reddish…” This fire imagery shines bright in the reader’s mind, the heat and desperation of the flames reflecting the wolves and their desperation for their next meal. Carter also spends a significant amount of time describing the way the girl’s clothes went into the fire. On page 118, Carter states, “The thin muslin went flaring up the chimney like a magic bird and now came off her skirt, her woolen stockings, her shoes, and on the fire they went…” The image of not just her clothes burning, but floating off like a magic bird, reflects the way they were used as identification and restriction earlier in the piece. As she burns her former identity, she becomes naked and vulnerable, creating a new one in her exposed form. It separates her from her family and forms the bond between herself and the
Two main symbols stand out: the riding hood and the wolves. The riding hood represents the girl, her emotions toward the wolf, and the emotions of girls before her. Carter states, “She closed the window on the wolves and took off her scarlet shawl, the colour of poppies, the colour of sacrifices, the colour of her menses, and, since her fear did her no good, she ceased to be afraid” (117). Along with sacrifices, poppies are their own grave symbol. Greek and Roman myths often use poppies as flowers for the dead, and using poppies here may symbolize the death of the young girl’s innocence and any trepidation she would have toward the wolf. She sacrifices herself to temptation, but in such a powerful and mature way that shows she is ready to grow up. With the symbol of the riding hood, wolves represent another form of femininity. When she sees the wolves, “Ten wolves; twenty wolves – so many wolves she could not count them, howling in concert as if demented or deranged” (Carter, 117), she could easily run or succumb to fear as her fairytale counterparts had done before her; however, she sympathizes with the wolves, takes a step above their instinctual nature and uses her own power to realize that they are hurt, desperate animals. This pack also represents the men that try to seduce young women into their power play, taking away their defenses with fear tactics and domination. The girl disputes this by seeing …show more content…
On page 110, she states that the wolves eyes, “shine like candle flames, yellowish, reddish…” This fire imagery shines bright in the reader’s mind, the heat and desperation of the flames reflecting the wolves and their desperation for their next meal. Carter also spends a significant amount of time describing the way the girl’s clothes went into the fire. On page 118, Carter states, “The thin muslin went flaring up the chimney like a magic bird and now came off her skirt, her woolen stockings, her shoes, and on the fire they went…” The image of not just her clothes burning, but floating off like a magic bird, reflects the way they were used as identification and restriction earlier in the piece. As she burns her former identity, she becomes naked and vulnerable, creating a new one in her exposed form. It separates her from her family and forms the bond between herself and the