Bill Watterson defies expectation yet again in his interpretation of Little Red Riding Hood. Published on February 2, 1986, the comic depicts Calvin’s father reading the tale as a bedtime story to Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin asks that the wolf in the story be changed into a tiger. Because of the transformation, the story also deviates from the Grimm Brothers’ typical ending. Instead of the wolf (tiger) being shot and killed, he eats both Little Red Riding Hood and the hunter, delighting both Calvin and Hobbes.
This story is a social cartoon, meant to entertain, but it also highlights important aspects of fairy tales. To Calvin, the story has a much different meaning than it does for other children. He relates to the beast so much so that he asks for it to be changed into the form of his friend (Hobbes) as well as that the ending of the story be altered, so that the wolf (tiger) is successful. To Calvin, the protagonist of the tale is the tiger, who simply acts as tigers do and eats his prey. Calvin is horrified at the idea of the tiger being shot, and his father, instead of trying to enforce a different message upon him, changes the tale to suit Calvin’s beliefs and needs.
I am a big fan of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. They remind me of fairy tales in that they have value for children and adults alike. I find this comic is particular really funny and entertaining because its ending is surprising, but even though Little Red Riding Hood and the hunter both die, the comic is wholesome, showing Calvin’s great innocence and imagination, his love for Hobbes, and his ability to connect to the stories he’s told in his own unique way. The shock factor is similar to that of Roald Dahl’s version of the tale, where Little Red Riding is transfigured into the wolf - she ends up wearing two wolf pelts and murdering an innocent pig for sport (not for protection). The shock-factor of the ending highlights how fairy tales can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the person and/or the time of when the tale is read.
Cartoonist: Bill Watterson; Comic Strip: Calvin and Hobbes; URL: https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1986/02/02
I am a big fan of the Calvin and Hobbes comic strips. They remind me of fairy tales in that they have value for children and adults alike. I find this comic is particular really funny and entertaining because its ending is surprising, but even though Little Red Riding Hood and the hunter both die, the comic is wholesome, showing Calvin’s great innocence and imagination, his love for Hobbes, and his ability to connect to the stories he’s told in his own unique way. The shock factor is similar to that of Roald Dahl’s version of the tale, where Little Red Riding is transfigured into the wolf - she ends up wearing two wolf pelts and murdering an innocent pig for sport (not for protection). The shock-factor of the ending highlights how fairy tales can be interpreted in many different ways depending on the person and/or the time of when the tale is read. 
The URL for the remaining images are as follows (both from Google Images):
ReplyDeleteCalvin and Hobbes Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_and_Hobbes
Little Red Riding Hood Image: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/444660163180246765/