KidLit Forum

Even from the title we have an explicit reference to the fairy tale that would definitely make us think about the other known characters that we expect to find. Wheeler prefers to present Grannie only in the other characters' memory and to give the mother a more important part, that of the woman who brings the predator near the pray. The colour red appears in the text from the beginning giving the reader a hint towards the sexual implications that the story will have. Although one wouldn't be shocked when reading about Helen's (the mother) affair with another man, I still consider the writer's choice to have Helen married to a priest a significant aspect. It could be either to make her affair even more monstrous or it could make us believe that it has to do with the writer's opinion about priests. When reading the story I was under the impression that this was a mother who was pushing her girl towards an unfortunate sexual experience. She was raising her to be loved by men (she took her to dancing lessons, she made her wear lipstick) and she was proud of the fact that boys loved her. The girl's name, Regina and the fact that she is an only child gives the reader the idea of the great expectations that her parents had from her. If we consider the original story, actually Grimm's version, we have two important settings, the woods and Grannie's house. In this story we have the city and Grannie's house where the sexual attack takes place. This is a house that Helen hates because of her childhood memories but still suits her well when she decides to leave her husband. There are hints in the story that help the reader identify "the wolf": the black hair from the back of the hand of Helen's lover, Regina notices that he has more hair than her father, Helen notices his large, white teeth and says he has a pelt on his chest. After moving in Grannie's house Regina has an interesting conversation with her mother's lover when she actually surrenders to him. She asks him whether he will take care of her and she accepts physical contact with him. The night after Regina's conversation with her mother's lover, we see her borrowing from the wolf the big eyes and the big ears as a sign of curiosity when she comes in the hall and watches her mother making love with Josef. He knows it and so, he makes a show out of it in an attempt to finally corrupt her.
The story begins with a hat, but this is no ordinary hat; it's a crimson woolen hat with a tiny red bud on a side, which is also red and has two little green leaves. All these could signify the feminine sexual organs and Josef thinks about "an almost unbearable promise" upon seeing it. This is where it all begins with Josef thinking about a virgin's "untouched skin" and his urge to buy this hat for Helen's girl.
In my opinion the message is that women should keep their eyes open when they allow someone to enter their life and shouldn't let themselves overwhelmed by too much passion that might blind them.