Jack Kerouac's On The Road and Little Red Riding hood
Created | Updated Jan 28, 2002
Little Red Cap, Sal, Grandma, Dean, and the Wolf:
Taking Little Red Riding Hood On The Road
Fairy tales, like most works from all literary genres contain basic elements that help to differentiate them in style. Accordingly, individual tales throughout time have contained and continue to contain certain motifs and larger themes central to the story. The tale of “Little Red Riding Hood” certainly contains such elements. Because basic human needs and desires have the tendency to transcend time, those certain elements of “Little Red Riding Hood” may be found in many works of modern and contemporary literature. One such work that bears a striking resemblance to “Little Red Riding Hood” is Jack Kerouac’s novel On The Road, which was first published in 1957. In fact, not only does On The Road contain many of the same motifs and larger themes as “Little Red Riding Hood,” the novel also shares many of the same archetypal characters with its fairy tale predecessor. The common elements in both works help to illustrate not only that basic human wants and needs can transcend time through different works but also that fairy stories can have a larger impact on a society’s literary consciousness above and beyond their impact as mere entertainment for children.
There is very little doubt that Kerouac was familiar with the tale of “Little Red Riding Hood.” For example, in his 1967 novel Vanity of Duluoz, An Adventurous Education, which serves as a prequel chronicling the events leading up to those described in On The Road, Kerouac writes from the point of view of a prisoner who daydreams, saying that “Little Red Riding Hood ... by the time you get out of here you’ll be the last rose of summer” (241). Even though Vanity of Duluoz was actually published a decade after On The Road, both works center around fictionalized accounts of true to life Kerouac adventures. Therefore, as Kerouac’s fictional counterpart is addressed as “Little Red Riding Hood,” near the end of the novel, one may use this as a starting point at which to compare and contrast the elements that were published a decade earlier in On The Road by looking through the filtered eyes of the “Little Red Riding Hood” tale (Kerouac 241).
First, in order to fully understand exactly how the two stories share common elements, a brief analysis of the motifs and larger themes of the fairy tale is necessary. For purposes of comparison, this paper will use the Grimm version of the tale, “Little Red Cap,” The Perrault version, “Little Red Riding Hood,” and also the Opie version of the tale, “The Little Red Riding-Hood.” Since the tale grew out of the oral tradition, and therefore no one version can be deemed a definitive work, it is rather appropriate to include the many versions of the tale in order to incorporate elements inevitably left out by any one edition. Likewise, use of numerous versions of the tale will assist in finding common aspects in Kerouac’s work that would have otherwise been ignored.
“Little Red Cap,” collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, presents the version of the “Little Red Riding Hood” tale that serves as the backbone of most familiar incarnations of the story. This version of the tale introduces a number of particular motifs, or aspects of the tale that can stand on their own. One can look no further than the title of the tale to find one motif, as the inclusion of the color red puts forth many images essential to both works. Red can signify many things in the tale, but most notable of the ideas that the color red signifies is the idea of carnal knowledge. For example, in the Perrault version, Little Red physically gets in bed with the wolf, as she “took off her clothes and went to lie in the bed” (Perrault 26). Looking beyond the immediate physical, sexual use of the color red, the passing down of the red cap in the tale can also conjure up numerous images. For instance, in the Perrault version of the tale, grandmother presents the red hood to the girl. This red hood is “like the ones fine ladies wear,” which implies that the red hood signifies a certain level of social awareness, a particular station in society, and an expressed level of maturity (Perrault 25). Beyond simple social maturity, the passing on of the red can also represent on a large level female pubescent maturation and more specifically the introduction of menstruation into the girl’s life. An interpretation of the meaning of the color red most pertinent to the Opie version of the tale involves the red hood symbolizing both blood being shed and more importantly the deaths of the grandmother and the little girl. In other versions of the tale, the little girl either escapes or is rescued, but in the Opie tale, the wolf “fell upon the little red Riding-Hood, and eat her up” (Opie 125).
Yet another motif that appears in all three versions of the tale is that of the woods. Not simply a setting in which a tale takes place, the woods come to signify many things in the tale. Mainly, the woods represent a large communal, dark place in which many personalities can converge. Specifically, in fairy stories, the woods generally serve as a place where seemingly “good” characters are corrupted by “bad” characters. Likewise, the woods present a place of great unknown, a place of unwritten future, and a place in which a character must make a choice very important to their fate. In the “Red Riding Hood” tales, a wolf corrupts the little girl in the woods. Plus, the woods put forth a trail in which there are two ways to get to a particular destination. Then, the wolf challenges the little girl as to which path will be the quickest to her grandmother’s house. Finally, the wolf picks a path, the little girl picks a path also, and they decide to find out who will get to grandmother’s first. Eventually, the little girl picks the “wrong” path, the longer path, the path that allows the wolf to get to grandmother’s house first. Once the little girl is physically out of the woods, she learns that her biggest troubles have just begun. Depending on which tale is referenced, the little girl’s choice in the woods leads to her death, her grandmother’s death, or at the very least a good deal of harm and danger. Needless to say, the woods provide a place of unwritten future, a place for possible adventure. The “woods” will appear in Kerouac’s novel also, with both similar and different results.
Along with the fairy tale motifs included in the “Red Riding Hood” tales, larger themes exist. These themes may or may not be specific to the literary genre of fairy tales, and as such they exist apart from those motifs common among tales. Accordingly, these themes tend to be the aspects of the tale that represent those transcendental needs and desires that crop up in modern literature. Critic Leslie Fiedler asserts that “children’s books introduce all the plots introduced in adult works and that adult responses are frequently based on forgotten or simply remembered works from childhood” (Hallett 9). Likewise “this is particularly true of fairy tales, which, in providing much of our earliest literary and imaginative experience, have surely exerted an enormous influence over us” (Hallett 9). That said, certain themes in the tale can be examined to exemplify its modern influence, and more specifically can be used to find such themes in Kerouac’s novel.
One theme present in the fairy tale is the theme of loyalty to the family. Primarily, this theme exists due to the fact that the little girl’s trek is a mission of sorts to assist a family member. Family closeness and fidelity prevail thanks to the little girl making (in some cases) the ultimate sacrifice in the name of family. At the very least, the girl puts herself in great possible harm in order to help her ailing grandmother. Also, in some versions of the tale the journey is one carried out by motherly decree. And lastly, in the Grimm version, the tale ends with the little girl promising to herself that in the future she will not defy her mother’s wishes in regards to the woods.
Another theme related to the motif of the woods is the idea that wandering off into the unknown will ultimately lead to trouble. In the different versions of the tale, the general consensus about the woods is that the little girl’s choice on the path seals her fate. However, a latent theme apart from the motif of the woods is that simple wandering into unfamiliar places will bring about peril. If not peril, wandering will at the very least bring about a mishap. In general, without wandering, there would be no tale.
Analysis of the numerous characters in the “Little Red Riding Hood” tales will provide some insight into the archetypes to which each subscribes. First the tales presents the somewhat innocent, uncorrupted little girl. This little girl conjures up images of the unconquered, virginal female. Next, the little girl’s grandmother comes to represent the opposite, the world weary female. Lastly, the wolf tends to represent the archetype of the trickster, a prankster, or a troublemaker. Interaction among these three characters sets up the basic premise of the tale. Quite simply, the uncorrupted virginal female sets out to help the matriarch of her family, and along the way she is tempted, fails, and subsequently becomes corrupted by the trickster figure. By examining the characterization, themes, and motifs of the story at such a vague level, this fairy tale can be applied to many other works of literature.
The gender of its protagonist notwithstanding, Jack Kerouac’s On The Road bears striking similarity to the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood.” In On The Road, the character Sal Paradise sets out on an initial journey headed for the west coast in order to live with an old college friend. Unlike its fairy tale predecessor, On The Road ends up chronicling no less than four different journeys into the “woods,” with each trek providing for numerous temptations, tricksters, and corruption. By exploring each trip that Sal takes as an individual tale comparable to “Little Red Riding Hood,” common motifs, themes, and archetypes will appear.
Before his untimely death, Kerouac had intended to collect all of his works and change all the names in order to give uniformity to historical characters that appeared across numerous novels (Asher). So, had he lived, Kerouac presumably would have changed the name of the character in Vanity of Duluoz referred to in jail as “Little Red Riding Hood” in such a way that he and Sal Paradise would have been presented as the same character (Kerouac 241). Using the intended uniformity as a basis for such a comparison, a reading of the novels Vanity of Duluoz and On The Road in their historical order presents the fictionalized character as a “Little Red Riding Hood” that will be “be the last rose of summer” just weeks before he sets off on his journeys (Kerouac 241).
The first journey Sal takes is the aforementioned move to the west coast. Along this trip, Sal wanders into the “woods,” the open road, on the “greatest ride in [his] life” (Kerouac 24). This particular ride has Mr. Paradise hitching to Denver in a truck full of trickster figures. Temptation comes in the form of currency, as the group has just enough money to do two things, eat and buy liquor. The rascals end up wandering an unfamiliar town in search of a liquor store. Redemption then appears in the form of a whiskey bottle. Careful application of this episode to the basic “Red Riding Hood” structure will produce certain similarities. First, Sal is sent on a journey by a loved one, this time the loved one being an old college friend. Next, Sal is introduced to not only one trickster but many, and one happens to be a fugitive. Even though Sal is not at all naive, in regards to this episode he has to make a symbolic choice at the crossroads in the woods, the choice of whether or not to buy alcohol on his journey. Once corrupted by the trickster, Sal buys the alcohol and indulges during the rest of his ride with the men in the truck. Following the structure of the “Little Red Cap” tale, Sal escapes this episode happily intoxicated and rather unscathed.
An interesting exchange in part one has Sal taking on the role of the wolf, as he presents carnal knowledge to an uncorrupted child. Where the wolf in the Opie tale actually lies in bed with the child, Sal presents his corruption in a slightly different manner. While Sal has sex with a woman, Terry, whose child is in close proximity, Terry assures Sal that the child is asleep and unaware of what is going on. However, Sal tells himself that he knows better, but continues to have sex even though he knows the child is watching.
Sal’s second trip involves a journey taken with his friend Dean Moriarty from Virginia to New York. An episode in this journey that lends itself to comparison with the “Little Red Riding Hood” tale involves Sal and Dean as they become introduced to the trickster Carlo Marx who asks them, “Whither goest thou, America, in thy shiny car in the night?” (Kerouac 119). Dean and Sal eventually meet up with Carlo in New York, just in time for New Year’s Eve at Time’s Square. Sal gives no detail regarding the stay in New York, except that he expresses how soon he and Dean got out of there and headed for Virginia. Applying this episode also to the “Little Red Cap” structure, there are at least three similarities. First, the trickster asks of the protagonist’s destination; in the Grimm tale, the wolf asks, “Where are you going so early, Little Red Cap?” (Grimm 28). In the Opie version, the wolf “asked her whither she was going” (123). Secondly, during this particular trip, Dean becomes “tremendously excited about everything he saw, everything he talked about, every detail of every moment that passed,” and the two eventually end up at the doorstep of Sal’s brother (Kerouac 120). Likewise, Little Red Cap becomes enamored with the sunbeams and flowers all around her, and she eventually ends up in front of an open door at her grandmother’s house. Lastly, both Dean and Little Red Cap make abrupt departures from their destinations with positive affirmations. Dean affirms, “I am positive beyond doubt that everything will be taken care for us” (Kerouac 120). Likewise, Little Red Cap vows not to run off into the woods when her mother tells her not to.
The third journey in On The Road contains an episode in which Sal and Dean have to make the choice of whether to rent a car and get out of town or go look for Dean’s father. Once at this crossroad in the “woods,” the two decide to get out of town. Certainly this course of action runs counter to that of the fairy tale, as the two do not seek out a family member. However, a later adventure proves true to the tale. Dean, taking on the archetype of the wolf, seeks out a girl in order to “make her” (Kerouac 219). Dean ends up scaring the girl’s mother, and she chases him away with a shotgun. By comparing this exchange to the fairy tale, one can see characters begin to take on particular archetypes. First, “the beautiful young chick” Dean wanted to have sex with represents the virginal, uncorrupted female (Kerouac 218). Likewise, Dean becomes the corruptor, the wolf. The young girl’s mother may in fact represent one of two archetypes. She may be the world weary protector, represented in the fairy tale by the grandmother. However, she also may take on the role of hero, as she saves the little girl via the threat of bodily harm to the corrupter; this hero archetype appears in the form of a hunter in the Grimm tale.
In the last adventure of On The Road, Dean and Sal head for Mexico when a girl asks Dean “where you going, man?” (Kerouac 277). Dean initially makes a U-turn to pick the girls up, but learns that they are headed to the fields to work. Once the two are on their way through Mexico, Dean begins to lament all of his surroundings as if he is in love with everything in sight. Sal and Dean eventually end up at a Mexican grandmother’s house. Essentially, when applying the “Red Riding Hood” structure to this episode, Dean and Sal wander through the “woods,” meet up with numerous tricksters who also happen to be prostitutes, and end up at grandma’s house, where they proceed to buy marijuana from her.
Each of these episodes from On The Road contain elements in common with the “Red Riding Hood” tale. Other noteworthy similarities exist, however, that are not tied to any particular adventure. One such example is that during his numerous journeys Sal keeps in constant touch with his guardian, his matriarch, his aunt. This echoes the theme of family solidarity put forth in the fairy tale. Innumerable exchanges exist within On The Road that echo the sentiment of the fairy tale that the woods, an unwritten future, the unknown, will bring about mishap and adventure. The difference with On The Road lies in that Sal yearns for such adventure; Little Red doesn’t necessarily go on her journey looking for adventure. Also, both stories show that the basic human need for adventure transcends tales of any time. Accordingly, the desire to explore the unknown exists in both tales, providing kicks for some and the downfall of others. Lastly, On The Road ends with Sal looking at a sunset reflecting on his adventures. The red of the sun and sky echoes not only the red cap imagery of the fairy tale but also the initial impetus for this paper, the idea from the end of Vanity of Duluoz that Jack Duluoz (Sal) would be “the last rose of summer.” (Kerouac 241). Through the comparison of certain themes, motifs, and archetypes one can see that the two works in fact bear a resemblance to each other. Considering the universality of fairy tales, there is no wonder that most modern works of literature would contain elements that hearken back to those tales told to children.
Works Consulted
Asher, Levi. Literary Kicks. 5 August 1999. <http://www.litkicks.com>.
Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. “Little Red Cap.” Folk and Fairy Tales. Toronto: Broadview, 1998. 27-30.
Hallett, Martin, and Karasek, Barbara, edited by. Folk and Fairy Tales. Toronto: Broadview, 1998. 9.
Kerouac, Jack. On The Road. New York: Penguin, 1957.
Kerouac, Jack. Vanity of Duluoz: An Adventurous Education.
New York: Penguin, 1967. 241.
Opie, Iona and Peter. “The Little Red Riding-Hood.” The Classic Fairy Tales. New York: Oxford, 1974. 123-125.
Perrault, Charles. “Little Red Riding Hood.” Perrault’s Fairy Tales. New York: Dover, 1969. 25-29.
Taking Little Red Riding Hood On The Road
Fairy tales, like most works from all literary genres contain basic elements that help to differentiate them in style. Accordingly, individual tales throughout time have contained and continue to contain certain motifs and larger themes central to the story. The tale of “Little Red Riding Hood” certainly contains such elements. Because basic human needs and desires have the tendency to transcend time, those certain elements of “Little Red Riding Hood” may be found in many works of modern and contemporary literature. One such work that bears a striking resemblance to “Little Red Riding Hood” is Jack Kerouac’s novel On The Road, which was first published in 1957. In fact, not only does On The Road contain many of the same motifs and larger themes as “Little Red Riding Hood,” the novel also shares many of the same archetypal characters with its fairy tale predecessor. The common elements in both works help to illustrate not only that basic human wants and needs can transcend time through different works but also that fairy stories can have a larger impact on a society’s literary consciousness above and beyond their impact as mere entertainment for children.
There is very little doubt that Kerouac was familiar with the tale of “Little Red Riding Hood.” For example, in his 1967 novel Vanity of Duluoz, An Adventurous Education, which serves as a prequel chronicling the events leading up to those described in On The Road, Kerouac writes from the point of view of a prisoner who daydreams, saying that “Little Red Riding Hood ... by the time you get out of here you’ll be the last rose of summer” (241). Even though Vanity of Duluoz was actually published a decade after On The Road, both works center around fictionalized accounts of true to life Kerouac adventures. Therefore, as Kerouac’s fictional counterpart is addressed as “Little Red Riding Hood,” near the end of the novel, one may use this as a starting point at which to compare and contrast the elements that were published a decade earlier in On The Road by looking through the filtered eyes of the “Little Red Riding Hood” tale (Kerouac 241).
First, in order to fully understand exactly how the two stories share common elements, a brief analysis of the motifs and larger themes of the fairy tale is necessary. For purposes of comparison, this paper will use the Grimm version of the tale, “Little Red Cap,” The Perrault version, “Little Red Riding Hood,” and also the Opie version of the tale, “The Little Red Riding-Hood.” Since the tale grew out of the oral tradition, and therefore no one version can be deemed a definitive work, it is rather appropriate to include the many versions of the tale in order to incorporate elements inevitably left out by any one edition. Likewise, use of numerous versions of the tale will assist in finding common aspects in Kerouac’s work that would have otherwise been ignored.
“Little Red Cap,” collected by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, presents the version of the “Little Red Riding Hood” tale that serves as the backbone of most familiar incarnations of the story. This version of the tale introduces a number of particular motifs, or aspects of the tale that can stand on their own. One can look no further than the title of the tale to find one motif, as the inclusion of the color red puts forth many images essential to both works. Red can signify many things in the tale, but most notable of the ideas that the color red signifies is the idea of carnal knowledge. For example, in the Perrault version, Little Red physically gets in bed with the wolf, as she “took off her clothes and went to lie in the bed” (Perrault 26). Looking beyond the immediate physical, sexual use of the color red, the passing down of the red cap in the tale can also conjure up numerous images. For instance, in the Perrault version of the tale, grandmother presents the red hood to the girl. This red hood is “like the ones fine ladies wear,” which implies that the red hood signifies a certain level of social awareness, a particular station in society, and an expressed level of maturity (Perrault 25). Beyond simple social maturity, the passing on of the red can also represent on a large level female pubescent maturation and more specifically the introduction of menstruation into the girl’s life. An interpretation of the meaning of the color red most pertinent to the Opie version of the tale involves the red hood symbolizing both blood being shed and more importantly the deaths of the grandmother and the little girl. In other versions of the tale, the little girl either escapes or is rescued, but in the Opie tale, the wolf “fell upon the little red Riding-Hood, and eat her up” (Opie 125).
Yet another motif that appears in all three versions of the tale is that of the woods. Not simply a setting in which a tale takes place, the woods come to signify many things in the tale. Mainly, the woods represent a large communal, dark place in which many personalities can converge. Specifically, in fairy stories, the woods generally serve as a place where seemingly “good” characters are corrupted by “bad” characters. Likewise, the woods present a place of great unknown, a place of unwritten future, and a place in which a character must make a choice very important to their fate. In the “Red Riding Hood” tales, a wolf corrupts the little girl in the woods. Plus, the woods put forth a trail in which there are two ways to get to a particular destination. Then, the wolf challenges the little girl as to which path will be the quickest to her grandmother’s house. Finally, the wolf picks a path, the little girl picks a path also, and they decide to find out who will get to grandmother’s first. Eventually, the little girl picks the “wrong” path, the longer path, the path that allows the wolf to get to grandmother’s house first. Once the little girl is physically out of the woods, she learns that her biggest troubles have just begun. Depending on which tale is referenced, the little girl’s choice in the woods leads to her death, her grandmother’s death, or at the very least a good deal of harm and danger. Needless to say, the woods provide a place of unwritten future, a place for possible adventure. The “woods” will appear in Kerouac’s novel also, with both similar and different results.
Along with the fairy tale motifs included in the “Red Riding Hood” tales, larger themes exist. These themes may or may not be specific to the literary genre of fairy tales, and as such they exist apart from those motifs common among tales. Accordingly, these themes tend to be the aspects of the tale that represent those transcendental needs and desires that crop up in modern literature. Critic Leslie Fiedler asserts that “children’s books introduce all the plots introduced in adult works and that adult responses are frequently based on forgotten or simply remembered works from childhood” (Hallett 9). Likewise “this is particularly true of fairy tales, which, in providing much of our earliest literary and imaginative experience, have surely exerted an enormous influence over us” (Hallett 9). That said, certain themes in the tale can be examined to exemplify its modern influence, and more specifically can be used to find such themes in Kerouac’s novel.
One theme present in the fairy tale is the theme of loyalty to the family. Primarily, this theme exists due to the fact that the little girl’s trek is a mission of sorts to assist a family member. Family closeness and fidelity prevail thanks to the little girl making (in some cases) the ultimate sacrifice in the name of family. At the very least, the girl puts herself in great possible harm in order to help her ailing grandmother. Also, in some versions of the tale the journey is one carried out by motherly decree. And lastly, in the Grimm version, the tale ends with the little girl promising to herself that in the future she will not defy her mother’s wishes in regards to the woods.
Another theme related to the motif of the woods is the idea that wandering off into the unknown will ultimately lead to trouble. In the different versions of the tale, the general consensus about the woods is that the little girl’s choice on the path seals her fate. However, a latent theme apart from the motif of the woods is that simple wandering into unfamiliar places will bring about peril. If not peril, wandering will at the very least bring about a mishap. In general, without wandering, there would be no tale.
Analysis of the numerous characters in the “Little Red Riding Hood” tales will provide some insight into the archetypes to which each subscribes. First the tales presents the somewhat innocent, uncorrupted little girl. This little girl conjures up images of the unconquered, virginal female. Next, the little girl’s grandmother comes to represent the opposite, the world weary female. Lastly, the wolf tends to represent the archetype of the trickster, a prankster, or a troublemaker. Interaction among these three characters sets up the basic premise of the tale. Quite simply, the uncorrupted virginal female sets out to help the matriarch of her family, and along the way she is tempted, fails, and subsequently becomes corrupted by the trickster figure. By examining the characterization, themes, and motifs of the story at such a vague level, this fairy tale can be applied to many other works of literature.
The gender of its protagonist notwithstanding, Jack Kerouac’s On The Road bears striking similarity to the fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood.” In On The Road, the character Sal Paradise sets out on an initial journey headed for the west coast in order to live with an old college friend. Unlike its fairy tale predecessor, On The Road ends up chronicling no less than four different journeys into the “woods,” with each trek providing for numerous temptations, tricksters, and corruption. By exploring each trip that Sal takes as an individual tale comparable to “Little Red Riding Hood,” common motifs, themes, and archetypes will appear.
Before his untimely death, Kerouac had intended to collect all of his works and change all the names in order to give uniformity to historical characters that appeared across numerous novels (Asher). So, had he lived, Kerouac presumably would have changed the name of the character in Vanity of Duluoz referred to in jail as “Little Red Riding Hood” in such a way that he and Sal Paradise would have been presented as the same character (Kerouac 241). Using the intended uniformity as a basis for such a comparison, a reading of the novels Vanity of Duluoz and On The Road in their historical order presents the fictionalized character as a “Little Red Riding Hood” that will be “be the last rose of summer” just weeks before he sets off on his journeys (Kerouac 241).
The first journey Sal takes is the aforementioned move to the west coast. Along this trip, Sal wanders into the “woods,” the open road, on the “greatest ride in [his] life” (Kerouac 24). This particular ride has Mr. Paradise hitching to Denver in a truck full of trickster figures. Temptation comes in the form of currency, as the group has just enough money to do two things, eat and buy liquor. The rascals end up wandering an unfamiliar town in search of a liquor store. Redemption then appears in the form of a whiskey bottle. Careful application of this episode to the basic “Red Riding Hood” structure will produce certain similarities. First, Sal is sent on a journey by a loved one, this time the loved one being an old college friend. Next, Sal is introduced to not only one trickster but many, and one happens to be a fugitive. Even though Sal is not at all naive, in regards to this episode he has to make a symbolic choice at the crossroads in the woods, the choice of whether or not to buy alcohol on his journey. Once corrupted by the trickster, Sal buys the alcohol and indulges during the rest of his ride with the men in the truck. Following the structure of the “Little Red Cap” tale, Sal escapes this episode happily intoxicated and rather unscathed.
An interesting exchange in part one has Sal taking on the role of the wolf, as he presents carnal knowledge to an uncorrupted child. Where the wolf in the Opie tale actually lies in bed with the child, Sal presents his corruption in a slightly different manner. While Sal has sex with a woman, Terry, whose child is in close proximity, Terry assures Sal that the child is asleep and unaware of what is going on. However, Sal tells himself that he knows better, but continues to have sex even though he knows the child is watching.
Sal’s second trip involves a journey taken with his friend Dean Moriarty from Virginia to New York. An episode in this journey that lends itself to comparison with the “Little Red Riding Hood” tale involves Sal and Dean as they become introduced to the trickster Carlo Marx who asks them, “Whither goest thou, America, in thy shiny car in the night?” (Kerouac 119). Dean and Sal eventually meet up with Carlo in New York, just in time for New Year’s Eve at Time’s Square. Sal gives no detail regarding the stay in New York, except that he expresses how soon he and Dean got out of there and headed for Virginia. Applying this episode also to the “Little Red Cap” structure, there are at least three similarities. First, the trickster asks of the protagonist’s destination; in the Grimm tale, the wolf asks, “Where are you going so early, Little Red Cap?” (Grimm 28). In the Opie version, the wolf “asked her whither she was going” (123). Secondly, during this particular trip, Dean becomes “tremendously excited about everything he saw, everything he talked about, every detail of every moment that passed,” and the two eventually end up at the doorstep of Sal’s brother (Kerouac 120). Likewise, Little Red Cap becomes enamored with the sunbeams and flowers all around her, and she eventually ends up in front of an open door at her grandmother’s house. Lastly, both Dean and Little Red Cap make abrupt departures from their destinations with positive affirmations. Dean affirms, “I am positive beyond doubt that everything will be taken care for us” (Kerouac 120). Likewise, Little Red Cap vows not to run off into the woods when her mother tells her not to.
The third journey in On The Road contains an episode in which Sal and Dean have to make the choice of whether to rent a car and get out of town or go look for Dean’s father. Once at this crossroad in the “woods,” the two decide to get out of town. Certainly this course of action runs counter to that of the fairy tale, as the two do not seek out a family member. However, a later adventure proves true to the tale. Dean, taking on the archetype of the wolf, seeks out a girl in order to “make her” (Kerouac 219). Dean ends up scaring the girl’s mother, and she chases him away with a shotgun. By comparing this exchange to the fairy tale, one can see characters begin to take on particular archetypes. First, “the beautiful young chick” Dean wanted to have sex with represents the virginal, uncorrupted female (Kerouac 218). Likewise, Dean becomes the corruptor, the wolf. The young girl’s mother may in fact represent one of two archetypes. She may be the world weary protector, represented in the fairy tale by the grandmother. However, she also may take on the role of hero, as she saves the little girl via the threat of bodily harm to the corrupter; this hero archetype appears in the form of a hunter in the Grimm tale.
In the last adventure of On The Road, Dean and Sal head for Mexico when a girl asks Dean “where you going, man?” (Kerouac 277). Dean initially makes a U-turn to pick the girls up, but learns that they are headed to the fields to work. Once the two are on their way through Mexico, Dean begins to lament all of his surroundings as if he is in love with everything in sight. Sal and Dean eventually end up at a Mexican grandmother’s house. Essentially, when applying the “Red Riding Hood” structure to this episode, Dean and Sal wander through the “woods,” meet up with numerous tricksters who also happen to be prostitutes, and end up at grandma’s house, where they proceed to buy marijuana from her.
Each of these episodes from On The Road contain elements in common with the “Red Riding Hood” tale. Other noteworthy similarities exist, however, that are not tied to any particular adventure. One such example is that during his numerous journeys Sal keeps in constant touch with his guardian, his matriarch, his aunt. This echoes the theme of family solidarity put forth in the fairy tale. Innumerable exchanges exist within On The Road that echo the sentiment of the fairy tale that the woods, an unwritten future, the unknown, will bring about mishap and adventure. The difference with On The Road lies in that Sal yearns for such adventure; Little Red doesn’t necessarily go on her journey looking for adventure. Also, both stories show that the basic human need for adventure transcends tales of any time. Accordingly, the desire to explore the unknown exists in both tales, providing kicks for some and the downfall of others. Lastly, On The Road ends with Sal looking at a sunset reflecting on his adventures. The red of the sun and sky echoes not only the red cap imagery of the fairy tale but also the initial impetus for this paper, the idea from the end of Vanity of Duluoz that Jack Duluoz (Sal) would be “the last rose of summer.” (Kerouac 241). Through the comparison of certain themes, motifs, and archetypes one can see that the two works in fact bear a resemblance to each other. Considering the universality of fairy tales, there is no wonder that most modern works of literature would contain elements that hearken back to those tales told to children.
Works Consulted
Asher, Levi. Literary Kicks. 5 August 1999. <http://www.litkicks.com>.
Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm. “Little Red Cap.” Folk and Fairy Tales. Toronto: Broadview, 1998. 27-30.
Hallett, Martin, and Karasek, Barbara, edited by. Folk and Fairy Tales. Toronto: Broadview, 1998. 9.
Kerouac, Jack. On The Road. New York: Penguin, 1957.
Kerouac, Jack. Vanity of Duluoz: An Adventurous Education.
New York: Penguin, 1967. 241.
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