The short story The Company of Wolves was written by Angela Carter and is the story about the Little Red Riding Hood because it has a similar plot. He protagonist of the story is a young girl, merely a teenager who is on her way through the woods to visit her grandmother. It is winter, just before Christmas and this area is inhabited by wolves and werewolves. People live in hard conditions in this place and they always carry a weapon with themselves in order to protect themselves from the wolves. This story is about fear and how it can be conquered in order to stay safe and sound.
The girl is not afraid because she is too young and protected, so she goes confidently on her way. “She steps into her stout wooden shoes; she is dressed and ready and it is Christmas Eve. The malign door of the solstice still swings upon its hinges but she has been too much loved ever to feel scared” (Carter 3). She is a pretty girl and she knows how to take care of herself in spite of being still a child. The harsh conditions made her develop her wisdom at early age. She trusts the hunter when she meets him and she understands him well even when she finds out that he is a wolf. Although he eats her grandmother, she manages to seduce him and proves that even animals or werewolves can be tamed. Moreover, he is attractive: “she'd never seen such a fine fellow before, not among the rustic clowns of her native village” (Carter 4).
It is evident from the beginning that the girl has fallen in love with the good-looking huntsman because he seems to be so resourceful and has a wild side at the same time. He is not afraid of wolves as he says to her and she believes him that he is just a very mentally and physically fit person. They bet about who would arrive first to her grandmother’s house and she is happy because of that. “What will you give me if I get to your grandmother's house before you? What would you like? she asked disingenuously. A kiss” (Carter 5). At this point the girl choses to go slower so that she would certainly lose the bet and have to kiss the handsome man. He is counting on that because it would give him time to eat the grandmother before the girl arrives.
There is a reason why the werewolf is so handsome and it is because that is the matter of survival. He uses his charm and good looks to lure women and they are attracted to him every time. That is how he manages to survive in bad conditions in the winter when there are no animals to be eaten and only people are available if they are tricked.
Carter writes the story this way because she is describing a relationship between a man and a woman. The girl is young, but she has developed her sexuality and she is also keen on survival, which is why she chooses to seduce the wolf. She is not angry because he ate her grandmother and is more interested in conquering the wolf, than in mourning about her grandmother. Moreover, the grandmother was very old: “Aged and frail, granny is three-quarters succumbed to the mortality the ache in her bones promises her and almost ready to give in entirely” (Carter 5). This gives the girl right to pursue her sexual and romantic desires.
When the girl reveals her sexual attraction to the werewolf, she wins his attention and she no longer has to be afraid for her life. “The flames danced like dead souls on Walpurgisnacht and the old bones under the bed set up a terrible clattering but she did not pay them any heed” (Carter 8). The bones are clattering because her grandmother is warning her about the dangers of the werewolf, but the girl is aware of the situation and has everything under control. She is young, wise and attractive and will not allow to be eaten.
The girl uses her sex-appeal to make the wolf attracted to her and she accomplishes that. The end of the story is completely different than the beginning where the wolves are described as ruthless carnivores whose special delight are people. It is said that the wolves are not capable of having mercy because of their nature: “the wolf is worst for he cannot listen to reason” (Carter 1). This means that his intrinsic nature is monstrous and that he cannot be tamed. However, there is a connection between such a beast, a predator and a human being because there are werewolves and it seems to be regarded as the worst punishment when men are changed into werewolves. However, there are people eager to become werewolves and they get used to such a lifestyle once they are turned.
There is sadness attached to the wolf of this beast and that is because it is unable to help itself. It has to hunt all the time in order to survive and howling is a way of expressing the suffering. It seems that these creatures would like to be different and have a softer nature if they could. This actually happens in the end when the wolf, or the werewolf becomes tender lying on the bed with the girl in his arms. This is the moment that resolves the issue of werewolves and it seems that they became monsters because they lacked love in their life.
The girl is too young and inexperienced, but she knows how to manipulate her sexuality. She is sexually mature and her red scarf which is compared to her red menstrual blood is the metaphor for the sexual relationship which is about to happen after she tames the werewolf. “She closed the window on the wolves' threnody and took off her scarlet shawl, the color of poppies, the color of sacrifices, the color of her menses, and, since her fear did her no good, she ceased to be afraid” (Carter 7). The whole setting creates an intimate atmosphere which is ideal for a sexual encounter. Moreover, she chooses the werewolf as her life companion and she expresses her wish to become his wife. In this story, women are regarded as the sex which needs to seek protection from men in order to survive. The other woman in the story is also punished by her second husband when her first husband comes home as it turns out that he is a werewolf.
Women are supposed to sacrifice themselves to men, but in this story, it is for the benefit of the girl. It is her only way to stay alive and she is attracted to the werewolf either way. There is great determination in her attitude towards the werewolf because she falls in love with him and sympathizes with his suffering. She is selfish because she does not care about anybody else but herself and she betrays human species. However, she cannot control her emotions, so her actions can be justified.
This is the story about forbidden fruit and lust that can overcome all difficulties. Even if there are obstacles to the relationship between the werewolf and the girl, deep passion resolves everything. The girl achieves her goal to become a woman and fall in love, while the werewolf finally finds love and becomes gentle and tender. Both of them gain from this experience and it changes their lives completely because they do not care about what the people would say.
Works Cited
Carter, Angela. He Bloody Chamber And Other Stories. London: Vintage, 1995. Print.
