Little Red Riding Hood by Bill Delaney - 946 Words

At first glance the characters Connie from â€Å"Where are you going? Where have you been?† and Little Red Riding Hood from the classic fairy tale â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† may seem to have nothing in common. However, from the start one can compare how much they actually have in common. Though these two characters are very different they are the same in many ways. Their story, from beginning to end, is similar. It is easy to see how alike and different they are with the description of Connie and Little Red Riding Hood’s lives, the relationship with their wolves, and their tragic endings. At the start of each story the authors give you a bit of insight into Connie and Little Red Riding Hood’s lives. Connie is a fifteen year old girl with a whole†¦show more content†¦Thoughts are not the only things Arnold and the wolf have in common. Arnold is said to look like Bob Dylan with â€Å"his unshaven face, his big white teeth† (Tierce and Crafton 221) The wolf also had large teeth. This common section may suggest that each are both smooth talks but also are eager to gobble up Connie and Little Red Riding Hood. The ending of both characters are often times guessed upon. For Connie most people who read the story believe she will be raped, however, it is never written in the authors words. For Little Red Riding Hood her ending in more definite in the stories but with so many versions it is a question on what they all mean. Connie’s ending is not sweet; it is not a happy ending. Where are You Going? Where Have You Been? ends in confusion, turmoil, and an mysterious ending. It is not known for sure if Arnold does in fact rape Connie but the story depicts a clear ending within its writing. For example, Arnold tells Connie â€Å"I’ll hold you so tight you won’t think you have to try to get away or pretend anything because you’ll know you can’t† (Oates 512). It is clear to Connie in these lines what Arnold’s purpose in her life is. There are many depictions of Little Red Riding Hood and each has their own version of who she was and how the story end ed. In the original written version by Perrault the wolf simply attacks Little Red Riding Hood and devours her. â€Å"Few parents choose to readShow MoreRelatedEssay Classic Fairy Tales: Annotated Bibliography1398 Words   |  6 PagesIn his evaluation of Little Red Riding Hood, Bill Delaney states, â€Å"In analyzing a story . . . it is often the most incongruous element that can be the most revealing.† To Delaney, the most revealing element in Little Red Riding Hood is the protagonist’s scarlet cloak. Delaney wonders how a peasant girl could own such a luxurious item. First, he speculates that a â€Å"Lady Bountiful† gave her the cloak, which had belonged to her daughter. Later, however, Delaney suggests that the cloak is merely symbolic