kelly’s blog

Fairy tales are meant to be told to children and are usually about dragons, goblins, elves, or any other magical creatures. Many children remember fairy tales like Little Red Riding Hood or Cinderalla for years and years. Kids however usually don’t notice the bad parts or the secretly hidden true meanings behind these tales though. From reading, “Why Theory”, and analyzing both translations of Little Red Riding Hood, it’s easy to say that some fairy tales really can be “scary tales” to children, if children picked up on the real meanings behind them.
In the second version of Little Red Riding Hood by Charles Perrault, the moral of the story is so obviously blunt about the scary truth of the world and has very questionable meanings to it. For example, the first line of the moral says, “Children, especially attractive, well bred young ladies, should never talk to strangers, for if they should do so, they may well provide dinner for a wolf.” When I first read that statement, I initially translated that as if attractive young ladies talk to strange “wolves” or men, they will be persuaded into doing sexual activities with the “wolf” or man (or “provide dinner for a wolf”) There are many interruptions you can make about this statement of the moral but is this a story children ages 5-8 or 9 should hear, even if they don’t comprehend the real meaning of it? I think some fairy tales are meant for older children and maybe adults.