The Story Of The Slandered Wolf That Nobody Listened To
The children’s tale of Little Red Riding Hood and the Wolf is one of the best known and most publicized for years. The original version is narrated from the point of view of the girl, who sees her life and that of her grandmother threatened by a terrible ferocious wolf.
Whenever we have listened to the story we have taken Little Red Riding Hood’s version for granted and most people have never considered what the wolf had to say about all this. After all, as the alleged culprit in this story, I sure had something interesting to add to it.
Lief Fearn, in 1988, decided to turn the story around by telling it from the wolf’s point of view and allowing him to tell his own version. His story helps to make us understand that sometimes it is necessary to listen to both versions before judging anyone.
The story of the maligned wolf
The forest was my home. There I lived and took care of it. I always tried to keep it clean and tidy. One sunny day while I was picking up the trash that some Sundays had left behind, I heard footsteps. I jumped up behind a tree and saw a rather small girl coming down the path carrying a small basket in her hand.
I immediately became suspicious of her because she was dressed in a somewhat bizarre way, all in red, with her head covered, as if she did not want to be recognized.
Naturally I stopped to see who he was and asked him what his name was, where he was going and things like that. He told me that he was going to take the food to his grandmother and I thought he was an honest person. However, the truth is that she was in my forest and was suspicious with that strange hood, so I simply warned her how dangerous it was to cross the forest without first asking permission and wearing such a striking outfit.
I let her go her way and then hurried, along a shortcut I knew, to get to Grandma’s house before she did. When I saw that nice old lady, I explained the problem to her, and she agreed that her granddaughter needed a lesson. We agreed that he would stay outside the house, but the truth is that he hid under the bed. So I got dressed in his clothes and went inside.
When the girl arrived, I invited her into the bedroom. As he sat up on the bed, the first thing he did was say something unpleasant about my big ears. She had told me something unpleasant before, but I did what I could to defend my ears and told her that thanks to them I could hear her better.
I also wanted to tell him that I loved his tone of voice and how he used it to tell stories. I really wanted to pay close attention to what she was saying, but she immediately made another comment about my bulging eyes. As you can imagine, I began to feel a certain dislike for that girl who was apparently very good, but who was actually not very nice. However, as it is customary for me to turn the other cheek, I told her that my big eyes helped me to see her better.
The next insult really hurt me already. I am aware that my teeth do not have the best aesthetics, but the comment you made was very unpleasant. So , even though I did my best to control myself, I jumped out of bed and told her furiously that my teeth would help me to eat her better!
Now let’s face it, everyone knows that no wolf would eat a girl. But that crazy little girl started running around the house screaming and I followed behind, trying to calm her until the door suddenly opened and a ranger appeared with an ax in his hand.
The worst thing is that I had already taken off my grandmother’s dress and I immediately saw that I was in trouble and unprotected. Without considering any other option, I jumped out of an open window and ran as fast as I could.
I would like to say that this was the end of the whole affair, but that grandmother never told the truth of the story. Soon after , the word began to circulate that I was a mean and unfriendly guy and everyone started avoiding me. I don’t know anything about that little girl in that extravagant red hood, but since that mishap I have never lived in peace again.
The art of listening
As in the story of Little Red Riding Hood, many times we take a vision of the events for granted without asking ourselves what else they will have to contribute. Faced with the same reality, each person can live and experience it in a different and unique way.
In order to know the other person’s version, it is necessary to be interested in knowing it and to take time to listen to it. Thus, not taking things for granted and being cautious when judging others can help avoid misunderstandings.
Asking and knowing how to listen is much more difficult than speaking and giving an opinion. Many times we listen to respond, and not to understand. Before filling our mouth with words we should fill our ears with what the other person has to say.
Ask first, judge later.
Ignored and slandered, the wolf was found guilty without anyone ever taking an interest in his version. Surely having asked him in time or giving him the opportunity to explain himself would have allowed him to know his point of view and not condemn him so quickly.
There are many wolves that we condemn in our lives without ever being interested in what they had to tell. In the same way, surely many of us have been wolves in the eyes of those who heard versions different from ours.
Remember that in stories there are as many points of view as there are people involved. Listening to the different versions, asking the different parties and not judging ahead of time will help the wolves in your life to live in peace.
