The Young Girl

The young girl is one of the short story's main characters. She remains unnamed throughout the narrative. She is the youngest child in her family, and has always been spoiled by her mother and grandmother. This pampering has made her carry herself with confidence and importance. Though most children in her village become hardened and severe at a young age, the young girl is not. She has just started menstruating, and her relationship with her body is evolving.

On Christmas Eve, the girl becomes determined to visit her grandmother. Despite the known perils of the woods in midwinter, the girl is undeterred. She takes the basket her mother packed, and her carving knife, and heads out in the snow wearing her red cloak.

While walking, the girl is pleased with all there is to see in the forest. When she hears a wolf howl in the...