Household Tales · Chapter
Little Redcap explained
Little Redcap, a beloved girl, is sent by her mother to bring cake and wine to her ill grandmother.
What happens
Little Redcap, a beloved girl, is sent by her mother to bring cake and wine to her ill grandmother. Along the way, she is tricked by a wolf who distracts her with flowers, then races ahead to devour the grandmother and later Little Redcap herself. A huntsman rescues them by cutting open the sleeping wolf, filling it with stones, and killing it. In a second encounter, Redcap and her grandmother outwit another wolf, drowning it in a trough of sausage water.
Themes in this chapter
Virtue Rewarded and Vice Punished
Little Redcap's disobedience leads to danger, but her rescue and the wolf's death reinforce the moral that good behavior is rewarded and evil is punished.
Promises and Their Consequences
Little Redcap promises her mother to stay on the path, but her failure to keep that promise results in dire consequences.
Family Dynamics and Betrayal
The wolf betrays the trust of both Little Redcap and her grandmother, exploiting familial bonds for predatory gain.
Characters to notice
- Little Redcap
The protagonist, a dear little girl who wears a red velvet cap and is sent to visit her sick grandmother.
- the wolf
The antagonist who deceives and devours both Little Redcap and her grandmother.
- the grandmother
Little Redcap's grandmother, who is ill and later rescued from the wolf's stomach.
- the huntsman
A huntsman who saves Little Redcap and her grandmother by cutting open the wolf.
- Little Redcap's mother
Little Redcap's mother who gives her instructions before her journey.
Key passages
“Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone who looked at her, but most of all by her grandmother, and there was nothing that she would not have given to the child.”
A sweet little girl was adored by all, especially her grandmother, who gave her anything she wanted.
Introduces the protagonist and her close relationship with her grandmother.
“Set out before it gets hot, and when you are going, walk nicely and quietly and do not run off the path, or you may fall and break the bottle, and then your grandmother will get nothing;”
Leave early to avoid the heat, walk carefully, and stay on the path so you don't break the bottle and deprive your grandmother.
The mother's instructions set up the central conflict of the story.
“The wolf thought to himself, “What a tender young creature! what a nice plump mouthful—she will be better to eat than the old woman. I must act craftily, so as to catch both.””
The wolf considered the girl a tasty morsel and planned to trick her to eat both her and her grandmother.
Reveals the wolf's predatory intentions and cunning nature.
“Little Redcap raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing here and there through the trees, and pretty flowers growing everywhere, she thought, “Suppose I take grandmother a fresh nosegay; that would please her too.””
Distracted by the beauty of the forest, Little Redcap decided to pick flowers for her grandmother.
Shows how the wolf's manipulation leads Redcap to disobey her mother.
“Then all three were delighted. The huntsman drew off the wolf’s skin and went home with it; the grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine which Redcap had brought, and revived, but Redcap thought to herself, “As long as I live, I will never by myself leave the path, to run into the wood, when my mother has forbidden me to do so.””
After being rescued, everyone was happy; the grandmother recovered, and Redcap resolved never again to stray from the path against her mother's warning.
The moral of the story is explicitly stated through Redcap's resolution.
