Little Red Riding Hood as a Political Tool

BY WOLVERTON, CAGLE CARTOONS  -  6/2/2009 12:00:00 AM

http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/442b921d-78c6-484f-a28d-fac542405043.html

         Little Red Riding Hood (LRRH) is one theme of this political cartoon. The cartoon itself depicts Sonia Sotomayor on her path to becoming a Supreme Court Justice in the United States Supreme Court. Like LRRH, Ms. Sotomayor’s path was not an easy one. Little Red Riding Hood’s path was difficult because she had a cunning wolf attempting to deter her from her trail of getting to grandmother’s house. While Sotomayor did not face a wolf, she faced an equally determined adversary in the GOP/Republican Party. Both the wolf and the GOP play the same role insofar that they attempt to halt the goals of the two women. While I think that the cartoon is a smart play on the fairytale, I do not necessarily enjoy the overall picture it sends. It gives me the impression that the Republican Party would literally go to any length to stop Sotomayor’s ascension to Supreme Court Justice. Perhaps this is true in a political sense, but it is not true in a literal sense. The story of Little Red Riding Hood contains possible negative underlying themes such as rape and cannibalism. Although I do not think it was the cartoonist’s intention to associate the GOP with these themes, I do believe that people with an in depth understanding of LRRH could interpret it this way. Regardless of one’s political affiliation, I do not believe anyone would want to portray our political leaders as rapist or cannibals.