Angela Carter's The Company of Wolves is a different adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood in which, instead of becoming the victim of an evil wolf, the little girl embraces the wolf as a an experience that goes beyond anything she has known or been taught. Little Red Riding Hood is becoming a young woman; is going through puberty, which often means changes in sexual interest and curiosity. Her family took the time to preach to the little girl that there are animals outside her protected bubble that are dangerous and not suited to interact with at such a young age. Since she is the smallest and cutest child, her mother and grandmother made enormous efforts to ensure that she remained as innocent as possible. However, when the little girl enters the woods, she discovers that she is not interested in being innocent. He finds that he wants to explore his sexual desires that are not civilized. Sexual desire is something wild and natural, something that civilized and cultured girls should never want to explore. Women are often discouraged from exploring their sexual desires because it is behavior that is not normally characterized as feminine. The heroine of The Company of Wolves rejects her civilized lifestyle to experiment with animalistic sexual desire. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Company of Wolves begins with an old wives' tale and a warning. A little girl is told stories about beasts that make you tremble with fear and that are unreliable. She is told these stories by her grandmother to ensure that the child remains innocent and pure. However, Little Red Riding Hood is told these old wives' tales about these wolves and how they preyed on innocent citizens; she took it and, instead of cowering before him like prey, asserted her dominance in the face of the wolf. The old wives' tales are intended to frighten her into obedience; so that she remains a little girl, her mother and grandmother strive to stifle any hint of curiosity. They tell her to “Fear and flee the wolf; for, worst of all, the wolf may be more than he seems” (Carter 111). This resonates closely with the implication that boys will be boys; they don't know how to control themselves. Women take it upon themselves to teach their daughters stereotypical behaviors of men and that good women should not engage in such behaviors. The women in this story, with the exception of the heroine, could almost be characterized as the antagonists. They discourage her from exploring her sexuality and sexual desires using scare tactics in the hopes that their youngest, prettiest son will remain civilized and innocent. However, in doing so, there is a disconnect in their care for her; the heroine doesn't seem to care that her grandmother was eaten by this wolf. She is actively rejecting her teacher about how good girls should behave. Without her grandmother, there is no one to force her to conform to the rules of their society, but even in her grandmother's death, the rattling of her bones is meant to serve as a warning against the wolf. The red shawl not only symbolizes her entry into womanhood, but is also physically protecting her body from wolves. As a developing young woman, "her breasts just started to swell" and she started menstruating; her grandmother makes the cloak to protect her granddaughter from prey (Carter 113). He burns his cloak to show how he is not afraid of the wolf. He burns his clothes to reject his civilized lifestyle and tobe accepted into an animalistic lifestyle. Carter says, “She wrapped up her shawl and threw it into the fire, which consumed it instantly” (Carter 117). Once she threw her shawl into the fire, she immediately freed herself from the pressures of being part of a civilized society. She wants that life for herself again; instead, it allows the wolf to introduce her to the world of sexual desire and to act on natural instincts rather than learned behaviors. The shawl is the first thing she burns because it is the antithesis of what she wants to be and what the wolf can teach her. After the shawl is burned, she begins to undress to embrace her natural body. “The thin muslin went blazing up the chimney like a magic bird and now came off her skirt, her woolen stockings, her shoes, and they too went into the fire and were gone forever” (Carter 118). She undresses to slowly show that she is willing to divest herself of everything she has been taught. He then strips the wolf to put them on a level playing field. Neither has an advantage and is in no immediate danger because they are equally exposed to each other. This story is not about love; it's all about lust and biological hunger for sex. The description of the heroine makes it clear that she has no intention of loving the wolf. Rather, she is looking forward to exploring sexual desire in herself. Their roles have reversed; she should be afraid of the wolf because his intention is to eat her. Ultimately, the act of having sex and consuming another being are closely aligned. She “bursts out laughing; she knew she was no one's meat” when the wolf said he would eat her (Carter 118). In the end it was two hungry beings consuming each other instead of a predator devouring its prey. Often, nature has acted as the place to find one's truth. Carter put Little Red Riding Hood in the woods because she should start searching for her sexual truth. Even if the wolf is interested in courting her sexually, it would have been a different story if he had purposely sought her out in the comfort of his nurturing community. Little Red Riding Hood finds herself in the woods without the protection of her mother and grandmother; finds himself wanting to explore sexual desires and is in the perfect position to do so. Instead of following what people told her to do when she goes into the woods, she acts on her animalistic instincts and sexual desires. The wolf is dirty and unreliable while she is pure and clean thanks to the constant care and shelter of her family. Loses her virginity to the wolf; she sheds her blood and immediately loses the innocence her family protected her from. Her instincts told her that she needed to experience her sexual awakening because she had no other opportunity to do so. Since in a civilized society the loss of virginity is often associated with marriage, Little Red Riding Hood found herself making a sort of commitment to the wolf by having sex with him. “She will lay her fearful head on his lap and pick the lice off his skin and perhaps put them in her mouth and eat them, as he bids her, as she would in a wild marriage ceremony” (Carter 118). Lice are the epitome of saying someone isn't clean; Little Red Riding Hood says that perhaps she would put lice in her mouth to show that she is becoming impure voluntarily. He didn't get lice from the wolf while they were having sex; he welcomes them into himself with enthusiasm as part of his new life. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay The Company of Wolves was a story about embracing sexual liberation and rejecting social norms and expectations. Little Red Riding Hood goes against everything.