Once upon an ecocritical analysis: fear and domination of the wild in “Little Red Riding Hood”

Crane, Walter. Red Riding Hood. 1875.

Nature and culture are intertwined but traditionally, in literature, we see them in binary opposition to one another (Adler, 2014). According to ecocritical theorist Peter Barry, however, there exists a "gray area" in between the two. In this space, nature and culture coexist and interact. Barry argues that "for the ecocritic, nature really exists, out there beyond ourselves, not needing to be ironized as a concept, but actually present as an entity which affects us, and which we can affect, perhaps fatally, if we mistreat it". Thus, in literature, we can find examples of nature not as a set of metaphorical meanings, but as reflections of the natural world. By analyzing these representations, what we are left with are actual depictions of the relationship between humans and nature. This is where fairy tales come into play. In fairy tales the story often begins when the main character leaves the safety of its home, its village and ventures into the woods (Wood, 2011). We see in fairy tales the binary perception of the world by drawing the line between the forest and the village/city. In this blog entry, my aim is to show that the way human beings interact with the woods, the "other" in fairy tales is the reflection of a cultural view of the natural world.

Fairy tales, in their early forms, served as cautionary tales about the dangers of human society and its surroundings. Little Red Riding Hood is a good example of this. The earliest written record of the tale is Charles Perrault, French author’s 1697 version, although orally, the tale spread for at least two centuries before it was written down (Wood, 2011). The moral of the story is simple: do not venture into the wilderness alone. It is meant particularly for young girls and tale has attracted feminist criticism as the story showcases male violence and portrays women as victims that need rescue from men. In this instance, however, my goal is to highlight a society where humans and nature do not exist peacefully and harmoniously together.

The heroine is introduced in Perrault’s version as a “village girl, the prettiest you can imagine” (Tatar, 1999). Her innocence and goodness appeal to us from the very beginning as we are meant to identify with her. One day her mother tasks her to take some cakes to her ailing grandmother who lives in another village. To get there, Little Red Riding Hood must travel through a wood, a no-man’s-land of danger (Wood, 2011). On her way, she meets the wolf. He will not attack her in the woods though, as he knows that there might be some woodcutters in the forest. Thus, he uses cunning to get his way. The little girl, “who did not know that it was dangerous to stop and listen to wolves” (Tatar, 1999), tells him where exactly her grandmother lives:  “She lives beyond the mill that you can see over there. Hers is the first house you come to in the village“ (ibid). Knowing this, the wolf runs directly to the house, tricks the grandmother to tell him how to open the door, eats her and then awaits for Little Red Riding Hood. As the girl finally arrives, a conversation familiar to all of us takes place:

“Grandmother, what big eyes you have!”

“The better to see with, my child.”

“Grandmother, what big teeth you have!”

“The better to eat you with!” (ibid.)

In Perrault’s version, the woodcutter doesn’t rescue Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother. They are both eaten by the wolf. If the girl didn’t linger in the woods and talked to the wolf, he would not have tricked her grandmother and both of them would be alive. The tale showcases the mistrust of the dangers found in the natural world, away from the civilization. Thus, we see humans afraid of the nature. It’s interesting how the tale changes in the 19th century. In the more known version by the Brothers Grimm, Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother are saved by the huntsman after the wolf’s skin. Here, we see that the fear turned into domination over nature. Neither of these versions do any good to the natural world, it’s either feared or dominated.

In conclusion, we see how just one tale, with the changes of the ending throughout the centuries, can show us how humans interact with nature. The fear completely transformed into domination. We are no longer afraid. But with domination comes consequences. Humans are the major cause of global warming and have been so since the early stages of the Industrial Revolution. The industrialization caused vast number of people moving from the country to the city. As a result, we became more alienated from nature. During that time Victorian fantasy literature often romanticized nature as an escape from the industrial cityscape. We see the same approach nowadays as we are increasingly trying to get away from the city at least during the weekends. But the romanticization doesn't help nature. The change of attitude does. In 19th century England, Hans Christian Andersen wrote fairy tales such as The Fir Tree, The Daisy and The Flax that featured plants tortured by human characters. At the same time, these plants were selfless providers. Such sympathetic depiction of nature helped nurture caring for the natural world in children. At the same time, Victorian society feared the organisms populating contaminated water caused by pollution from the chemicals. This in turn resulted in diseases like typhoid and cholera. Anderson tried to provide a social commentary about the environmental crisis in his contemporary world, but today he is mostly remembered for the Little Mermaid or The Steadfast Tin Soldier aka Nutcracker. That is why time has come to reevaluate these popular fairy tales. Little Red Riding Hood should change its ending once more. But what will it be? Would she save herself from the wolf by killing it herself? Or in a more optimistic and more ecocritical sense, would she need saving from the wolf at all? Can’t both of them exist at the same time without each bringing harm to one another?

                                                                                                                               Mariam Meparishvili