Little Red ridding hood psychoanalysis

1. Little Red ridding hood psychoanalysis

2. The Tale The story of little red ridding hood tells a tale of a little girl that get sent to deliver a basket full of goodies to her sick grandmother in hopes to help her feel better. On her way through the dark scary forest she runs into a evil wolf that asks her where she’s going, little red ridding hood foolishly replies “I’m going to my sick grandmothers house to deliver her some goodies to help her feel better”. The wolf using this information to his advantage and comes up with a plan to deceive the little girl by eating the sick grandmother and dressing up like her so the wolf can trick little red ridding hood and eat her for dessert. Towards the end of the story the wolf ends up eating the grandmother and little red ridding hood too once she arrives at the grandmother’s house. A lumberjack ends up coming to the grandmother and the little girl rescue and cuts the wolfs stomach with his axe and frees them. The lesson of the story is never talk to strangers. There is a deeper more and darker message to this story if we use psychoanalysis to get into the mind of little red ridding hood as well as the symbolic meaning of the “wolf” and what he really represents. The Freudian theory will break down this fairytale, piece by piece so we can better understand the primitive and psychological drives of this little girl.

3. Consciousness and Unconscious Psychoanalytic theory of the conscious and unconscious mind is often explained using an iceberg metaphor. Conscious awareness is the tip of the iceberg, while the unconscious is represented by the ice hidden below the surface of the water. We can use this model to brake down little red ridding hoods mind and uncontrollable desires.

4. Consciousness and Unconscious Consciousness Little red ridding hood consciousness would be that she knows not to talk to strangers. The stranger is represented by the wolf. She knows that she should not tell the wolf where she is going. The consciousness indicates the difference between right and wrong , and represent the rational part of the mind. Unconsciousness Little red ridding hood unconsciousness would be her ability to not think rationally about certain things. Her unconsciousness would be how she foolishly tell the wolf “Stranger” that her grandmother is very sick and that she is going to her house to bring her goodies in hopes to make her feel better. Even though she knows that she should not be stopping on her journey and talking to strangers. She also foolishly tells the wolf where her grandmother lives as well.

5. Oedipus Complex The Oedipus complex would be the little girls desire to seduce a manly figure or father like figure if you will. In various versions of this fairly tale the wolf asked little red ridding hood to change her clothes and then lay in bed with him unknowingly unaware of the wolf’s intentions of eating her. She foolishly lays in bed with the wolf perhaps to tam her unconscious desires to seduce a manly figure and to satisfy her ID. Once she is eating then later on saved by the lumber jack she goes back to her original female role and understands her place in sociality and thus learns her lesson “never talk to strangers”. Most of the later versions of the tale took out this element of the story due to its sexual connotations. However, one of the most famous illustrations of the tale by Gustave Dore shows Little Red Riding Hood in bed with the wolf. But it was with this version that really shows freuds Oedipus complex theory at work.

6. The ID, Ego and Superego Freud believed that there is three psychic zones of mental process and these zones are: The id, ego and superego. These three zones are actually shown and represented within the tale of little red ridding hood as well. The Superego In this story “Little Red Ridding Hood” mother and grandmother represent this zone. They both represent all morals and they help protect and control her natural urges. The ID The wolf in this story represents the id. He lacks logic and principle his only function is to get gratification. He is the line between restraint and mayhem. The Ego Little Red Ridding Hood represents the ego. She attempts to balance the other to psychic zones. When she goes into the wood s that is where she encounters her ID a.k.a the wolf. She disobeys her superego a.k.a her mothers instructions , she then confronts and embraces her ID.

7. Dreams: Secondary Revision, Condensation, Displacement and Projection Freud believes that dreams are broken down into three elements that allow a person to take a glimpse into their unconsciousness through their own dreams these three things take place when a persons guard is down during their sleep cycle. This person is now able to pear into his or her own unconsciousness and see what their consciousness hides from them while their awake. Displacement This occurs when the desire for one thing or person is symbolized by something or someone else.A good example of displacement would be the wolf. In this story little red ridding hood s desires are represented through the eyes of the wolf and the wolf’s actions (Dream Moods).  Projection This happens when the dreamer propels their own desires and wants onto another person. A example of this would the wolf again little red ridding hoods primitive urges are represented and shown through the wolf because the wolf represents her ID (Dream Moods). Condensation This is the process in which the dreamer hides their feelings or urges by contracting it or underplaying it into a brief dream image or event. Thus the meaning of this dream imagery may not be apparent or obvious. A example of this idea can be represented through the denial and the trickery that the wolf is pretending to be the young girls grandmother (Dream Moods).

8. The Symbolic Fulfillment of Unconscious Desires Symbolization This is characterized when the dreamer's repressed urges or suppressed desires are acted out metaphorically. A example of this would be once little red ridding hoods desires are fulfilled as in her primitive ID or her unconsciousness the wolf literally consumes her (Dream Moods).

9. Lacanian Theory The Unconscious “The unconscious mind is a reservoir of feelings, thoughts, urges, and memories that outside of our conscious awareness. Most of the contents of the unconscious are unacceptable or unpleasant, such as feelings of pain, anxiety, or conflict. According to Freud, the unconscious continues to influence our behavior and experience, even though we are unaware of these underlying influences” (Cherry, Kendar). A example of unconsciousness would be those primitive feelings and urges that little red ridding hood has and her struggle throughout the story and how she’s battling with her ID, Ego and Superego to fight off else urges.

10. Mirror Stage The mirror stage describes the formation of the Ego through the process of objectification, the Ego being the result of a conflict between one's perceived visual appearance and one's emotional experience.  Example a infant seeing his reflection in the mirror Throughout this fairy tale little red ridding hood does go through a mirror stage where she slowly learns and starts discover her ego and her desires and needs that she wants to be meant.

11. The Other The other would be little red ridding hood because she projects and reflects the ego. It is with this method that the other unconsciousness desires can come into play during the story as well as hold a deeper meaning behind the story other then just “don’t talk to strangers”. (an-other) Would be a example of a person higher up and this can be represented by the wolf. It is with this two characters that the battle of the others comes to a face in this fair tale.

12. The Name of The Farther This is any force that can and may separate the child from their mother like the child’s biological farther or step farther. Thus one can say that the farther figure within this story a be represented by the wolf. The wolf wishes to corrupt the young girl and in a sense take her away from her mother. The farther figure could also be the lumberjack although not present during almost the whole story he comes to the rescue in different versions to save the young girl and the grandmother thus freeing the young girl from her primitive urges and desires.

13. Conclusion In conclusion we can learn a lot from this common fair tale if we use Freud’s psychoanalysis to break down and drive into the mind of what this young little girl is battling with. The moral of the story is never talk to strangers, but if we look into it with more detail there is a hidden meaning one that can be found through psychoanalysis. The hidden meaning is showing you what happens when we as humans give into our unconsciousness behaviors and embrace them and most of the time the result is death therefore that’s why our consciousness is there to protect us and help us withhold our primitive urges and drives.

14. Worksited Google images Psychology.about.com/od/uindex/g/def_unconscious.htm Kendra Cherry www.dreammoods.com/dreaminformation/dreamtheory/freud2.htm Psychology.about.com/od/theoriesofpersonality/a/consciousuncon.htm