Written in the year 1999, Little Red Cap is an atypical poem written by Carol Ann Duffy, which loosely resembles her own life. The poem takes an unusual spin on the classic fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood: a story which has graced the pages of children’s books forever. The poem’s most distinctive feature is the reversal of the power dynamic between Red Riding Hood (RRH) and the wolf; Duffy also puts to use a plethora of literary techniques to acquaint the reader with her version of the famous fairy tale. Duffy’s perspective plays an important role in this poem as the distinctiveness of the poem’s content is derived from her distinct interpretations of the original fairy tale, interpretations which may have been derived because of the circumstances she had experienced in life. Hence, frequent parallels may be drawn between her life and the Little Red Cap.
Duffy begins the poem by using symbolism and writes, “at childhood’s end” so as to signify that RRH is no longer a child in this poem, who society can rein, but has her own thoughts and perceptions. This detail establishes that all of RRH’s decisions described further along are a result of her thoughts, no one else’s. Duffy then uses visual imagery to describe the society that RRH lived in. Duffy remarks, “Allotments kept, like mistresses, by… married men, the silent railway line,”, these descriptions present the town Red riding hood lives in as “controlling” and “oppressive”. These descriptions conform to the traditional idea of a “society”, which deems the code of conduct for people. They also force the reader to question if RRH actually left because she wanted to escape from the domineering society she lived in and go somewhere she could be herself, without any inhibitions.
Next, Duffy uses visual imagery again by writing, “He stood in a clearing…a paperback in his hairy paw…what big teeth he had!”. In this instance, imagery is used to highlight the fact that RRH is quite fascinated with the wolf, and it is her who spots him first. She sees him as this magnificent creature who despite being hairy and old, is quite appealing. This is the first example of the reverse power dynamic present in this poem, as it is red riding hood who sees the wolf first. This also presents to the reader the concept that it is not always one gender (male) seeking the other (female). Next, Duffy writes, “I made quite sure he spotted me, sweet sixteen… bought me a drink”. Here, it is revealed that RRH tries to use the fact that she is young and innocent to get the wolf to approach her. In this instance, parallels can be drawn between the poem and Carol Ann Duffy’s life, since she was of a similar age when she started a relationship with an older man- Adrian Henry. These lines reveal that it was actually her who was seeking him and not the other way around. This presents to the reader the idea that there is more to the situation that meets the eye sometimes.
In the stanzas that follow, the relationship between RRH and the wolf is inspected and it is revealed that RRH is only using him to gain access to poetry. Duffy remarks, “You might ask why. Here’s why.Poetry”. These lines are used by Duffy to tell the readers that she has gone to be with the wolf to acquire poetry. In this instance, parallels can again be drawn between Duffy’s life and what the poem communicates, as she may have used this poem to reflect on her motivations in pursuing the relationship with Henry when she was young. This insight was provided by Duffy herself when, later in life, she had remarked, “it (the relationship) was full of poetry. Duffy next tells the readers how RRH gave her innocence away to the wolf, quite willingly, by remarking, ” went in search of a-white dove-which flew, from my hands to his hope mouth”. This contrasts with how society always presents females as being exploited and forced to give their innocence away, even though they could have done so out of their own will.
Lastly, Duffy portrays the ultimate end of RRH’s relationship with the wolf by depicting that she grew tired of the wolf and the forest, which had initially seemed quite alluring to her. Duffy writes, “it took ten years…mouth of a buried corpse…a greying wolf howls.” These descriptions reveal that RRH finds the woods disgusting and repulsive and the wolf- greying. At this point, the reader may also wonder if RRH grows tired of the wolf and the forest because she has used both wholly. The timeline of 10 years, here is especially crucial since that was the exact length of Duffy’s relationship with Henry. This overriding point provides enough evidence for us to presume that Duffy is, in fact telling her own story. In the following lines, Duffy reveals how RRH killed the wolf using an axe and left the forest. She writes, “I took an axe to the wolf…I come with my flowers… all alone.” These couple of lines indicate that RRH has killed the wolf and left the forest, signifying the end of their relationship and her “moving on from it”. Here, the reverse power dynamic again comes into play, as it is RRH who kills the wolf after finding that she cannot extract anything further useful from him. Duffy may have used symbolism here to represent the aggressive end of her relationship with Henry, which she brought about.
In conclusion, the perspective of Duffy transforms this simple fairy tale into something a lot more complex and engaging, while also trying to do something idiosyncratic by reversing roles. Perspective is especially important here because Duffy was also a reader of the original tale and her own biases (which were present because of her life experiences) may have pushed her towards seeing the text in a different light. To understand this poem completely, we have to accept the fact that Duffy had chosen to see the text in a different perspective and has chosen to present that perspective in this poem, while also basing it on her own life. The poem is considered exemplary because it sets forth uncommon interpretations of the original fairy tale, creating something unique and valuable in the process. It also helps illustrate the power of perspective, furthering literature in the process.