Marxist Draft
Comp IV
November 4, 2014
The Tale of a Perfect Society “Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains….” –Karl Marx. Marx believed the proletariat should rise and fight for their power, just as the wolf does in Little Red Riding Hood. This century-old folk tale conveys a moral that most are oblivious to. Not only is it a warning to the proletariat, but also the capitalist of bourgeoisie; the story Little Red Riding Hood displays all parts of society and how they conflict each other. When analyzing the 1812 version of Little Red Riding Hood through a Marxist lens it became a cautionary allegory, because of the symbolism, the tone, and the implied themes. The symbolism of the wolf, the forest, and Little Red form examples of the capitalist and proletarians of society. These two divisions of this society are the “haves” (bourgeoisie) and the “have not” (proletariat). In the story of Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf symbolizes the proletariat. The wolf has no food, home, or family to help him; this forces him to be deceptive. He convinces Little Red to stray from the path, knowing it would take longer for her to get to her grandmothers, and this way he could get there first. The wolf’s hunger for power led him to eat the grandmother and Little Red. Shortly after, he lost all his power to the huntsman, when the Huntsmen cut grandmother and Little Red from wolf’s stomach (Eisen). The forest symbolizes the unknown and the dangers of society. In the idea of Marxism there is a belief that everyone should obey what society says and that the capitalist have all the power over citizens. In Little Red Riding Hood Red follows a path until she meets the wolf, where she then wonders from the path into the forest (Eisen). The situation then became dangerous and Little Red was eaten by the wolf. Little Red did not listen to her mother, whom represents the society in control, and went into the dangerous part of
November 4, 2014
The Tale of a Perfect Society “Let the ruling classes tremble at a communist revolution. The proletarians have nothing to lose but their chains….” –Karl Marx. Marx believed the proletariat should rise and fight for their power, just as the wolf does in Little Red Riding Hood. This century-old folk tale conveys a moral that most are oblivious to. Not only is it a warning to the proletariat, but also the capitalist of bourgeoisie; the story Little Red Riding Hood displays all parts of society and how they conflict each other. When analyzing the 1812 version of Little Red Riding Hood through a Marxist lens it became a cautionary allegory, because of the symbolism, the tone, and the implied themes. The symbolism of the wolf, the forest, and Little Red form examples of the capitalist and proletarians of society. These two divisions of this society are the “haves” (bourgeoisie) and the “have not” (proletariat). In the story of Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf symbolizes the proletariat. The wolf has no food, home, or family to help him; this forces him to be deceptive. He convinces Little Red to stray from the path, knowing it would take longer for her to get to her grandmothers, and this way he could get there first. The wolf’s hunger for power led him to eat the grandmother and Little Red. Shortly after, he lost all his power to the huntsman, when the Huntsmen cut grandmother and Little Red from wolf’s stomach (Eisen). The forest symbolizes the unknown and the dangers of society. In the idea of Marxism there is a belief that everyone should obey what society says and that the capitalist have all the power over citizens. In Little Red Riding Hood Red follows a path until she meets the wolf, where she then wonders from the path into the forest (Eisen). The situation then became dangerous and Little Red was eaten by the wolf. Little Red did not listen to her mother, whom represents the society in control, and went into the dangerous part of