Charles Perrault’s “Little Red Riding Hood” and Brothers Grimm’s “Hansel and Gretel” are two well-known fairytales in today’s society. Both tales incorporate the key literary elements that define a typical fairy tale. The significance in these specific elements comes from the effect they have on the plot and the consequential moral of the tale. Although “Little Red Riding Hood and “Hansel and Gretel” are two texts with distinct differences regarding their plots, the characters, setting, and themes incorporated into both respective tales relate closely to each other. These similarities largely identify the shared intention of the fairy tale authors for creating their individual tale and the significance of the certain themes and morals that
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The authors work together to demonstrate the complex nature of childhood, and the ways in which the characteristics of a child protagonist affect and determine their specific fate in a text. For instance, Perrault identifies the inexperience of Little Red Riding Hood as the reason for her ill fated death in his …show more content…
In “Little Red Riding Hood,” Perrault demonstrates the hunger of the wolf through his dialogue with Little Red Riding Hood. For instance, Little Red Riding Hood exclaims, “Grandmother, what big teeth you have!” and the wolf replies, “The better to eat you with!” (Perrault 12). Perrault illuminates the wolf’s instinctual desire to eat Little Red Riding Hood through the aforementioned exchange. The author highlights the hunger of the wolf as the central anxiety of the tale, as the story comes to an end when the wolf finally devours Little Red Riding Hood mercilessly. In addition, Brothers Grimm emphasizes the old woman’s craving for the flesh of children. The author uncovers, “She had built the little house of bread just to lure them inside. As soon as a child was in her power, she killed it, cooked it, and ate it. That was a real feast day for her” (Brothers Grimm 188). Brothers Grimm specifies the old woman’s hunger for Hansel and Gretel when she looks at their sleeping faces and mutters to herself, “They will make a tasty morsel” (Brothers Grimm 188). The cannibalistic thoughts and actions of the old woman dominate the tale of Hansel and Gretel and their struggle to stay alive in the woods. The theme of hunger and craving for human flesh applies to both of these texts. As the two authors largely
The authors work together to demonstrate the complex nature of childhood, and the ways in which the characteristics of a child protagonist affect and determine their specific fate in a text. For instance, Perrault identifies the inexperience of Little Red Riding Hood as the reason for her ill fated death in his …show more content…
In “Little Red Riding Hood,” Perrault demonstrates the hunger of the wolf through his dialogue with Little Red Riding Hood. For instance, Little Red Riding Hood exclaims, “Grandmother, what big teeth you have!” and the wolf replies, “The better to eat you with!” (Perrault 12). Perrault illuminates the wolf’s instinctual desire to eat Little Red Riding Hood through the aforementioned exchange. The author highlights the hunger of the wolf as the central anxiety of the tale, as the story comes to an end when the wolf finally devours Little Red Riding Hood mercilessly. In addition, Brothers Grimm emphasizes the old woman’s craving for the flesh of children. The author uncovers, “She had built the little house of bread just to lure them inside. As soon as a child was in her power, she killed it, cooked it, and ate it. That was a real feast day for her” (Brothers Grimm 188). Brothers Grimm specifies the old woman’s hunger for Hansel and Gretel when she looks at their sleeping faces and mutters to herself, “They will make a tasty morsel” (Brothers Grimm 188). The cannibalistic thoughts and actions of the old woman dominate the tale of Hansel and Gretel and their struggle to stay alive in the woods. The theme of hunger and craving for human flesh applies to both of these texts. As the two authors largely