The disguise of the wolf is almost
laughable. So much so that it’s hard to imagine the exchange between Red and
the wolf as something to be taken seriously. It’s almost playful, as if Red
knew fully well that this was not her grandmother the entire time. So why the
deception at all? Why doesn’t the wolf simply eat Red in the forest? That would
certainly be the most convenient for the wolf instead of risking Red go
somewhere else.
The story requires two things.
First, it needs Red to be in the bed. This tells us the kind of attack that she
suffers. While it can’t state sexual matters explicitly—censors in the Middle
Ages would not allow such a thing—it can draw the inference. This is an attack
that happens in a bed, which can only mean sex.
Second, the masquerade is also part
of the story. It must be. Red taking off her clothes demonstrates a kind of
willingness for what will happen, which is fitting in a coming of age story.
This is an assertion that she has become an adult, that she is not only of age,
but willing to have sex. The masquerade as Grandma isn’t, and never could be,
realistic. It’s the symbolism that is necessary. Dressing up as Grandmother is
about being a person that Red trusts.
The wise women were trusted by the
villagers during their most vulnerable times, especially illness. The story
wants to make sure we know that the wolf is masquerading as someone trusted in
order to put Red at ease. Yet, at the same time, Red knows that this is not
Grandmother as the story explicitly calls out the differences between
Grandmother and the wolf by going down the list of the wolf’s traits.
So what’s
going on? Easy. This is a sexual assault by someone trusted.