Angela Carter prominently retells the fairy tale story of Little Red Riding Hood, with more vivid and gruesome details as to the horrors of monstrosity. In The Company of Wolves, she first describes in detail the attitudes and machinations of wolves, providing examples using the concept of a werewolf compared to the anthropomorphized wolf in the original tale. Through Carter’s retelling, she envisions a tale of love that more closely resembles what could have happened in reality. Through this, the dichotomy of humanity and monstrosity is blurred when both exhibit traits that are supposedly exclusive of the other.
Stories often employ dichotomies such as good and evil; humans and monsters, in order to show two sides that are contrasting and inherently different from each other. The same thing can be seen in the beginning of The Company of Wolves wherein Carter describes the relationship between the wolves and the humans. The unnamed narrator of the story states that “of all the teeming perils of the night and the forest, ghosts, hobgobins, ogres that grill babies upon gridirons, witches that fatten their captives in cages for cannibal tables, the wolf is worst for he cannot listen to reason” (Carter 74). Though initially describing wolves in general as akin to its real-life counterparts, this description changes the setting of the story into that that is fictitious in nature and more closely resembling fairy tales. The narrator further reinforces the idea and advising people and indirectly, the reader into believing that they should be afraid of these monsters. By showing how evil these monsters are, the narrator is able to build up a more horrific tone and background for the story.
A point of contestation then happens when this dichotomy of monsters and men is challenged through the display of traits that are both supposedly exclusive of the other. Although this concept is something that has been employed by various writers wherein the reader is challenged into a moral dilemma of realizing who the real monster is, Carter adds to this through the werewolf which is both human and monster at the same time. One such example that challenges this is the husband of the young woman. After returning home after spending some time as a wolf and upon seeing his wife with another man, the first husband wills himself to return to being a wolf to spite them. This shows that they are also able to display the same emotions that are human in nature despite them being labeled as not being able to listen to reason.
Angela Carter’s story is mired with differences between wolves due to the fact there is no concrete proof whether all wolves are the same. It is not explicitly mentioned whether there are wolves that are real wolves or if these wolves were once mentioned but cursed by a witch. There is also the concept of werewolves which are both human and wolf at the same time. Regardless of their categorization, these monsters are also tormented by their situation as reinforced through their howls which has “some inherent sadness in it, as if the beasts would love to be less beastly if only they knew how and never cease to mourn their own condition” (Carter 75). Though the wolves kill in order to survive, the same thing can be said of humans who kill other animals for food. This again challenges how storytellers only explicitly describe the monsters as the evil being.
One other theme that is discussed in the story is innocence and naivety which is displayed through the little girl. The little girl, despite knowing that wolves are most dangerous at winter still decides to travel into the forest and bring her grandmother some food. Despite bringing a knife with her, this already sets her apart from her peers who are more cautious of wolves due to their upbringing. This naivety and innocence of the little girl is something that will save her in the end because of Carter’s usage of love and sexual awareness. The narrator describes the little girl’s virginity which “is an unbroken egg; she is a sealed vessel; she has inside her a magic space the entrance to which is shut tight with a plug of membrane; she is a closed system” (Carter 76). Her virginity can be closely tied to her naivety that no harm can befall her because she has been loved too well by people. The girl is a deviant not only in her innocence but also in her indifference regarding the danger of her endeavor. This shows strength that despite her supposedly being the weaker sex, shown by her not being able to oppose her father, she is in command of her beliefs and ideals.
Her indifference and ability to quickly accept the situation is what saved her from the end. Despite being a virgin, the girl was looking forward to a kiss from the young, good-looking hunter, and even going as far as dawdling to make sure he wins the bet. Ultimately, her loss of innocence and awakened awareness in her sexuality is what brought her to accept the werewolf going as far as laughing in his face when he told her he was to be eaten. The little girl displayed traits that are not traditionally humanistic, while the werewolf also employed reason. The werewolf could have also eaten the girl but through love decided to ‘marry’ her by consummating their love while the other wolves howled in songs. Although it is hard to determine whether the girl simply wanted to live, her choice of stopping to be afraid and ignoring the bones of her dead grandmother all hint to an awakening to ‘monstrous’ traits.
Works Cited
Carter, Angela. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories. USA: Penguin Books, 1993. White IB 1 Language and Literature HL. 14 June 2016. Web.
