The Speaker

The first-person speaker represents the titular character: Little Red Cap, as she is called in German fairy tales, or Little Red Riding Hood as she is called most commonly in English and French. The speaker transitions from childhood to young adulthood and eventually to a more mature point of view. The poem opens with the speaker in a position of inexperienced innocence, yet curious enough to take an active role in attracting the wolf’s attention. She is also driven by her desire to create and shape herself as an artist, a drive which ultimately lifts her from the domestic life she has been entrapped into.

The Wolf

The wolf is a metaphorical animal layered over a human man, who represents the unknown and the sexual awakening of the poem’s main character. He is older and more experienced in both art and love, and is initially...