Comparing Two Stories: Marmon Silkos Yellow Woman and Wilhelm Grimms Little Red Cap

Horror or terror is a fiction genre which has the capacity to elicit fear to the audience. This involves the combination of actions and events in various scenes through different literary devices and characters thus ensuring that readers are frightened, scared and disgusted. Horror is typically included in supernatural tales, which is meant to make the audience thrilled and left in suspense of the sequence of the events a given story. Wilhelm Grimms Little Red Cap and Marmon Silkos Yellow Woman are two literary texts which have explored the theme of horror in their respective narratives. Analysis of these two accounts will focus on examining characters, actions, themes, and plot adopted to highlight the instances where the aspect of horror or terror has been utilized. Such approach will be vital when it comes to providing a comparison between Wilhelm Grimms Little Red Cap and Marmon Silkos Yellow Woman.

Marmon Silkos Yellow Woman

In the Story Yellow Woman, the author (Leslie Marmon Silko) is recounting the struggles that women experience as they seek their identity in Pueblo Indian society. The constant battles that the women endure in this article invoke elements of horror. It is portrayed that their future is scary, implying that they need to be strong and powerful to overcome the forces that against the empowerment of women in this community. For instance, the narrator points out that Yellow Women stories have been narrated by her people for many generations (Silko 2). In this context, Silko opts to use a story within a story to create an atmosphere of fear or terror to the audience. This approach enables the author to explore myths associated with women in the Pueblo Indians.

The stories that the speakers grandfather used to narrate have been precisely used to create the sense of horror and terror to the audience. The narrator reveals that her grandfather was fond of telling stories which revolve around katsina, or mountain spirits and yellow woman. In these two stories, grandfather points out that the lonely travelers were often lured and eventually captured by a katsina spirit or a yellow woman. For example, in the story about the Badger and Coyote, is meant to invoke fear to the readers (Silko 2). It is claimed that Badger and Coyote had gone hunting the whole day. The sunset compels them to look for a house where they can spend their night. In this house, there was a girl, whom they realize she has been staying alone.

The physical appearance of the young girl is also frightening. It is asserted that she had light hair and eyes and she told them that they could stay with her (Silko 2). Such descriptions depict that the girl had strange physical attributes which are terrifying. The notion of a young girl staying alone in an abandoned building, in the woods is scary for the readers. It is later revealed that the spirits used a young girl to lure Badger and Coyote into the trap, who is kidnaped. It suggests that such a girl has supernatural power who used the influence of katsina spirit to prey on her targets.

The story also used the setting and landscape features to incorporate elements of fear and horror to the story. The author sets the morning scene, where the narrator and the man (who is later revealed to be known as Silva) spend the night together along the white river and sand (Silko 2). In this case, a strong imagery is applied to create a picture that implies that an individual is in danger. The speaker rarely knows the man, and yet they are in a strange land. When the man tells her you are coming with me, remember? (Silko 2) Makes the audience to be skeptical of the surroundings of the narrator, regarding the impending danger. This indicates that the author is using suspense as a literary device to elicit horror and anxiety to the readers.

Wilhelm Grimms Little Red Cap

Little Red Cap by Wilhelm Grimm is another tale which explores the application of horror elements in its plot and storyline. This tale demonstrates that the author is utilizing evil force to achieve horror fiction in the story. In this tale, the focus is on a wicked wolf, which eats human beings. The Little Red Cap, the Wolf, hunters, grandmother, and mother are the characters in the story, whose actions and events lead to the creation of scenes that are considered horrific and terrifying.

The author uses the landscape and setting in this literary text to create scenes that appear scary and terrifying. When grandmother becomes sick, Mother sends Little Red Cap to bring her food and a bottle of wine. The journey to grandmothers place is a half an away from the Little Red Caps village. Apparently, grandmother stays in the woods alone. Residence in the abandoned homes is typical scenes of horror fiction genre, which are meant to elicit the sense of danger and vulnerability to the attacks from the sadist force (Dawn 2). Before reaching grandmothers home, Little Red Cap encounter dangers which put her life at risk. Such events provoke the feelings of horror and fear among the audience.

For example, upon meeting her, the Wolf tricks her to divulge information about her destination. According to the Wolf, this was an opportunity for his selfish gains. "Now that sweet young thing is a tasty bite for me. She will taste even better than the old woman (Grimm 2). She fells for Wolfs trickery. While plucking flowers, the Wolf rushes to grandmothers house, where eats her as he waits for the coming of Little Red cap. Under these circumstances, the Wolf is depicted to a horrible and evil. Regardless of grandmothers weakness and sickness, the Wolf proceeds on to eat her.

The actions involving a creature swallowing human beings is often utilized in narratives to paint a picture of horror to the plot of the story. When Little Red Cap arrives at her grandmothers house, she is also eaten by Wolf, which later falls asleep (Grimm 2). As a way of rescuing grandmother and Little Red Cap, the hunters use the scissor to bisect the Wolf. This act is terrifying. Conclusion

A comparison between Wilhelm Grimms Little Red Cap and Marmon Silkos Yellow Woman attests that both narratives have incorporated various events in their respective storyline which explore elements of horror. Such horrible acts are meant to thrill the audience.

Works Cited

BIBLIOGRAPHY Dawn, Jaydra. "The Importance of Mature Themes in Young Adult Literature." Reasonance Freequency (2016): 1-2. web.

Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Little Red Cap. North-South Book, 1995. print .

Silko, Leslie Marmon. Yellow Woman. Rutgers University Press, 1993. Print .