'Men And Women In The Battle Of Granny's'

Men and woman today do not always follow their “designated” gender roles as they have in the past and this causes skepticism in the way society views them. This is represented In the story where there is change surrounding the innate nature of men to showcase violence, and unclothed women to stray from innocence. The first example is in this quote when Carter displays the man’s attempt to remain inconspicuous, “The sticks twitched in the grate, the clock ticked and the young man sat patiently, deceitfully beside the bed in granny's nightcap” (218).This displays the man’s attempt to deceive the young girl of who he is. The significance of him being clothed in granny’s nightcap is to also cause uncertainty in the reader as to what he will try …show more content…
Carter subsequently goes on to describes the meeting of the wolf with grandmother, “Off with his disguise, that coat of forest-coloured cloth, the hat with the feather tucked into the ribbon; his matted hair streams down his white shirt and she can see the lice moving in it” (217).It can be argued there is skepticism by the reader of what the intentions of the wolf are because after killing granny he dresses up. He could have very well easily stayed naked as a wolf and when the girl came to the door eaten her right away. It is also not clear whether the wolf being clothed will also bring about the metaphorphosis of his innate nature for violence. This is supported when the author describes the young man’s encounter with the young woman, “I don't believe you. Besides, aren't you afraid of the wolves? He only tapped the gleaming butt of his rifle and grinned.” (216). The purpose of this quote in relation to the previous one is to show that the man had other means of killing the grandmother. This causes the reader to question what his intentions were as a clothed man, but he proves it is just to create doubt about what he is about to do. This leads to question of why the wolf didn’t fulfill the duty that was expected of him right away but instead wait. Carter wants the reader to have this feeling of uncertainty to raise the question of the newfound role men and women have in present day …show more content…
The same way today woman are no longer seen as these helpless individuals who constantly need shielding and protection. This is further emphasized when the girl realized she was in danger, “She wanted her knife from her basket but she did not dare reach for it because his eyes were fixed upon her” (218). It is being stated to the audience reading that an innocent young girl should not be carrying a knife, this is not typical of the common girl in the past. In addition to the previous quote the narrator proves the point when they describe the young girls shawl, “She closed the window on the wolves' threnody 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”(219). This quote serves the purposes to show the shawl symbolizes the sacrifice of the girl’s innocence. It leaves the reader to think if the young girls truly still possess her innocence after the ordeal has taken place. Typically a clothed girl symbolizes purity, but in this case the author uses the unclothed girl to cause doubt in the reader. In present day we are seeing the almost complete shift for gender equality and that is what the author wants the reader to be aware of, when arising skepticism