# Red Riding Hood explained — Short Fiction > Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Ring Lardner. ## What happens A humorous retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, where the girl is sent to deliver gin to her grandmother, encounters a police dog, and is saved by her father who is playing golf nearby. ## Themes in this chapter ### Alcohol and Escapism The story revolves around the grandmother's need for gin as a morning remedy, highlighting alcohol's role in daily life. ### Satire of Media and Business The tale satirizes social norms and suburban life, including the absurdity of golf rules and the casual violence of the police dog. ## Character check-ins ### Red Riding Hood The protagonist, sent to deliver gin to her grandmother. ## Key lines > Well, children, here is the story of little Red Riding Hood like I tell it to my little ones when they wake up in the morning with a headache after a tough night. The narrator presents a version of Red Riding Hood for children who have hangovers. _Sets the tone of a humorous, adult-oriented fairy tale._ > But the rumor had spread the neighborhood that she was a perfectly nice gal, so she had to walk. Because she had a good reputation, she couldn't get a ride from strangers. _Satirizes the double-edged nature of a good reputation._ > So Red starts out with a quart under her arm but had not went far when she met a police dog. Red sets off with a bottle of gin and soon encounters a police dog. _Introduces the antagonist._ > Well the old lady heard him knock at the door and told him to come in, as she thought he must either be Red or a bootlegger. The grandmother assumes the knock is either Red or a bootlegger, so she lets the dog in. _Shows the casual acceptance of bootlegging during Prohibition._ > “I will Firpo you in a minute,” says the dog. The dog threatens to punch Red like the boxer Luis Firpo. _A humorous reference to a famous boxer of the era._ > “Listen,” says the dog, “if you had of had ½ of what I had last night you would of been stone blind.” The dog claims that if Red had drunk half as much as he did, she'd be blind. _Continues the alcohol theme._ > Red’s father had been playing golf for a quarter a hole with a couple of guys that conceded themselfs all putts under 12 ft. Red's father was golfing for money, and his opponents gave themselves short putts. _Introduces the golf subplot._ > He elected to play it and made what looked like a beautiful shot, but when they got up on the green they found that he had hit a white radish instead of a golf ball. He chose to play the ball from the garbage but accidentally hit a radish. _Absurd humor about golf mishaps._ > The 11th hole on the course is probably the sportiest hole in golfdom. The 11th hole is described as the most challenging and exciting. _Adds to the golf satire._ > “What hole are you playing father?” asked Red. “The eighteenth,” says her father, “and it is a dog’s leg.” Red asks her father which hole he's playing, and he replies it's the 18th, a dogleg. _Puns on 'dogleg' and the police dog._ > Whereat he hit the police dog in the leg with his niblick and the dog was so surprised that he even give up the grandmother. He hits the dog with his golf club, causing the dog to release the grandmother. _Climax of the rescue._ > “I win, one up,” says Red’s father and he went out to tell the news to his two opponents. He declares victory in the golf match and leaves to inform his opponents. _Ends with a focus on the golf match rather than the rescue._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters/red-riding-hood - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_62_se/chapters