Little Red Riding Hood

Nancy Burnett

Abstract

The author considers the task of symbol study and summarizes her pilot research into amplification of Little Red Riding Hood characters, settings and actions. Discussion of literature from folklorists and Jungian authors and the film Chocolat that contains Red imagery demonstrates a range of historical, socio-cultural and psycho-emotional interpretations of story elements, images and themes as related to the characters’ potential for transformation toward individuation. The author describes how some film characters that mirror Red characters are carried forward developmentally and why this is important. Questions and interpretation possibilities useful to sandplay therapists considering story related imagery included in clients’ sand scenes are offered. A range of possibilities applicable to differing ages, genders, life stages and presenting situations is revealed.

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