Symbolism in Little Red Riding Hood - Essay Example

 She goes as far as telling him everything related to her journey including the destination and the items she has in the basket. This symbolizes her urge to answer her inner self which is yearning for freedom; she is letting herself become a victim of her desires. It is also fairly easy to see that many of the dialogues hold sexual connotations with regard to little red riding hood. For example, the sentence, “Put the cake and the little pot of butter upon the stool, and come get into bed with me” symbolizes the sexual desire of the ‘wolf’ who wants little red riding hood to come to bed immediately.

Finally, as the story ends, she is devoured by the wolf which may actually be seen as succumbing to sexual desires, both on the wolf and the little girl’s past. The hint of sexual intercourse may also be seen from the French slang, ‘seen the wolf’ indicating a woman’s loss of virginity. Even though ‘little red riding hood’ is a simple short story, different symbols weave up a unifying theme that grasps the attention of the readers.