Isabelle C. Chang's The Chinese Red Riding Hood

There are many similarities that Isabelle C. Chang’s “The Chinese Red Riding Hoods” has with other stories in its tale type. There is a wolf, dressed as an old woman; a mother who gives her daughter instruction and advice; and a female protagonist facing danger and learning a lesson. Something that Chang’s story exclusively has in common with Perrault’s “The Story of Red Riding Hood” is that it has a written moral—the first line of Chang’s version is “Beware of the wolf in sheep’s clothing” (Hallet and Karasek 38). While this is a moral that could be attributed to any of the Little Red stories, it seems to overshadow the more specific lesson of Chang’s story—that girls at a young age must learn to be independent of the protection of a husband or parent (by learning about the outside world, learning to do domestic tasks, and taking care of weaker beings), because a girl never knows when she’ll have to care for herself.
There are several indicators that suggest the true moral of this
The mother has specifically said to Felice, “‘You must watch over your sisters Mayling and Jeanne while I am gone. Lock the door and don’t let anyone inside’” (Hallet and Karasek 38). While there are three sisters, the protagonist of this story is Felice; the instructions given by her mother are only for her, meaning only she can disobey, thereby furthering the conflict. The fact that this story focuses on the eldest sibling and not the youngest, as so many fairy tales do, implies that being mature and responsible are desirable qualities that girls should aspire to have.
Unfortunately, Felice does not listen carefully to her mother’s advice. The girls open the door for the wolf dressed as their grandmother, allowing an otherworldly creature into their safe inside space (Mareen 6). It is from this moment that Felice must use the skills she has learned from her female elders to avoid being