Course
ENG198
Semester
Fall
Instructor's Name
Dr. Sooyoung Chung
Year
2023
Writing Process
Editor's note: This paper was selected to receive the Barbara Farrelly Award for Best Writing in ENG 198 or ENG 200.
The purpose of this essay is to critically analyze the 2014 Disney film Into the Woods and examine the ways in which it utilizes the plot and key characteristics of the Little Red Riding Hood fairy tale to reinforce traditional gender roles and maintain the status quo. Into the Woods uses the traditional story line and stereotypical characters of the original written versions of Little Red Riding Hood, while maintaining a similar message about stranger danger. I examined the many ways in which traditional gender roles were represented in this film, through the predator/prey relationship between Little Red and the wolf, the victimization of Little Red, and the sexualization and loss of innocence that she experiences. I utilized scholarly critiques and analyses of “Little Red Riding Hood” to further examine the representation of gender roles in this film and consider the weight of these stereotypes. Overall, I concluded that Into the Woods provides the audience with a very traditional depiction of the Little Red Riding Hood story and stays consistent with traditional gender roles and stereotypes.
Recommended Citation
Tams, Emma
(2024)
"'Into the Woods': Modern Reinvention or Traditional Retelling?,"
Line by Line: A Journal of Beginning Student Writing: Vol. 10:
Iss.
2, Article 3.
Available at:
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/lxl/vol10/iss2/3