However some concealed meanings behind the fairy tale are only appreciated by adults as children's awareness is less mature. There are sexual connotations in the fairy tale as the wolf asks Little Red Riding Hood to 'come up to bed' with him and she then takes 'off her clothes.' (Perrault, p.28) A bed is considered to be the usual place to encounter sexual intercourse and the image of a naked man and woman dates back to Adam and Eve - the first people on earth to execute sexual intercourse. Therefore an adult may see Little Red Riding Hood 'changed from a naïve, attractive young girl, who is induced to neglect Mother's warnings and enjoy herself in what she consciously believes to be innocent ways, into nothing but a fallen woman.' [6] This interpretation associates with the moral of the story that people are not as innocent from the exterior as it can be viewed that talking to the 'stranger-friend' consequently enabled Little Red Riding Hood to lose her virginity.
The Grimm's version of this fairytale is informative to adults about children's behaviour. Red Cap's mother tells Red Cap to 'walk properly and don't run off the road…And when you come to Grandmother's place, do not forget to wish her a 'Good morning' and don't look into all the corners as soon as you arrive.' (Bettelheim, p.171) The repetition of the order 'do not' highlights the issue that children tend to drift from the 'right path.' The 'right path' can be viewed as a metaphor of the 'right way in life.' So Bruno Bettelheim states 'her mother is aware of Little Red Cap's proclivity for straying off the beaten path, and for spying into corners to discover the secrets of adults.' (Bettelheim, p.171) This could be observed as a warning to adults that children can simply be guided off course and they require guidance to the 'right path' in life.
The fairy-tale 'Little Red Cap' also helps adults understand how children develop. Little Red Cap asks her grandmother about her physical features such as her 'big ears', 'big eyes', 'large hands' and 'terrible big mouth.' [7] The repeated emphasis of size mirrors Little Red Caps large reaction to her grandmother's illness. This underlines Little Red Caps innocence as she is not familiar with the evils of the world such as illness. Bettelheim states: 'Here is an enumeration of the four senses: hearing, seeing, touching, and tasting; the pubertal child uses them all to comprehend the world.' (Bettelheim, p.172) By recognising how a child understands the world may enable adults to assist their child in their development.
Another concealed meaning which can not be understood by children is the importance of the wolf's character in understanding ourselves. In the Grimm's version, the wolf appears to be friendly at first with his greeting 'Good day Little Red-Cap' and Little Red-Cap acknowledges his polite manner by responding in the same way: 'Thank you kindly, wolf.' (Grimm, p.114) Bruno Bettelheim states:
If there were not something in us that likes the big bad wolf, he would have no power over us. Therefore, it is important to understand his nature, but even more important to learn what makes him attractive to us. Appealing as naivety is, it is dangerous to remain naïve all one's life. (Bettelheim, p.172)
Thus, the fairy tale shows us that every reaction we have has affected us in some way. Accordingly, if we understand this effect on us, we learn to control our reaction to it. This then enables us to understand ourselves more.
The fairy-tale 'Little Red-Cap' also shows adults not to spoil their children otherwise there could be bad consequences. In the story it states: 'There was nothing she would not have given the child.' (Grimm, p.114) Bettelheim argues '…it is fatal for the young girl if this older woman abdicates her own attractiveness to males and transfers it to the daughter by giving her a too attractive red cloak.' (Bettelheim, p.173) The 'red cloak' is a metaphor for her virginity as the colour red is a sign of blood. This could be attractive as innocent virgins are wanted by male predators such as the wolf. So by the grandmother spoiling the child by giving her a red clock, it has resulted in an unpleasant result for the child.
There is also the argument presented that children tend to learn from their own mistakes. In the Grimm's version Red-Cap thinks to herself: 'As long as I live, I will never by myself leave the path, to run into the wood, when my mother has forbidden to do so!' (Grimm, p.117) This long term promise to herself and the solid 'never' highlights the self-control she intends to keep for the rest of her life. The exclamation mark used at the end may show the anger inside herself that she has done wrong. Bettelheim states '…after her bad experience the girl realises that she is by no means mature enough to deal with the wolf (the seducer), and she is ready to settle down to a good working alliance with her mother.' (Bettelheim, p.174) This reveals to parents that if children disobey them, they will learn the lesson through their own experience.
This lesson is also reinforced with the possibility that children rebel against their parent's wishes if forced to keep their feelings repressed. The wolf must devour the grandmother in order to get to Little Red-Cap because '…once the (grand) mother is out of the way, the road seems open for acting on one's desires, which had to remain repressed as long as Mother was around.' (Bettelheim, p.175) The (grand) mother is seen as an obstacle between the Wolf and Little Red-Cap which must be removed in order to freely express their desire for one another. This desire Little Red-Cap longs for is for a father figure as 'the story on this level deals with the daughter's unconscious wish to be seduced by her father (the wolf).' (Bettelheim, p.175)
The fairy-tale 'The Sleeping Beauty' appeal to pubertal young girls as it reflects the experience females experience before the menarche. In the fairy-tale, it states that the princess will 'fall into a profound slumber that will last a hundred years.' [8] The verb 'fall' confirms that her sleep and passivity is beyond her control just as young girls first menstruation is beyond her control. 'The Sleeping Beauty' emphasizes the long, quiet concentration on oneself that is also needed.' (Bettelheim, p.225) This applies to pubertal boys and girls because self-reflection is part of their development into an adult.
Following on from the idea of passivity, the fairy-tale assures teenagers that the process of puberty will not last forever. At the end of the tale, it states that the princess awoke so 'the happy ending assures the child that he will not remain permanently stuck in seemingly doing nothing, even if at the moment it seems as if this period of quietude will last for a hundred years.' (Bettelheim, p.225) The tale reassures the child that the agony of puberty is not permanent even if it seems like they will and that 'a long period of quiescence, of contemplation, of concentration on the self, can and often does lead to highest achievement.' (Bettelheim, p.225) This 'achievement' can be seen as the love gained from the prince as puberty sparks attraction between males and females.
The prince's mother may be seen to represent the evil side of a mother's jealousy of their son's lover. The prince was aware of this as 'he did not dare to trust her with his secret.' (Perrault 'The Sleeping Beauty' p.16) His 'secret' being his love affair with the princess which he recognises his mother will be jealous of. Bettelheim observes that 'she appears as the oedipal mother who is so jealous of the girl her son the prince falls in love with that she seeks to destroy her.' (Bettelheim, p.229) Therefore, the fairy tale can be viewed to be directed for adults especially mothers who can connect to the characters in the story.
Fairytales are useful for both children and adults as they hold a moral lesson for children to obey their parents and also reassure adults that their children's rebellion is normal. Fairytales can also benefit adults to understand their children's development and what can cause them to rebel. However, fairytales may also teach adults not to submit to all of their child's wishes as it may result in bad consequences for the child. Children and adults can associate with the characters in fairytales in different ways which can provide them a sense of relief that their experience is common. For these reasons the fairy tale continues to be popular today.
