The excerpt from The Company of Wolves portrays women with characteristics of being naïve and the value of being innocent and virginal. The girl in the story, was shown to be as what we wound consider today to be “old fashioned.” The author was trying to show her innocence by telling us that she was the youngest in the family and a “latecomer.”
When she starts out on her journey, the girl thinks she is invincible when it comes to meeting up with wolves on her way. This is a common thought between most young people; everyone always thinks that something bad wouldn’t happen to them. The line stating that “her father might forbid her, if he was home, but he is away in the forest, gathering wood, and her mother cannot deny her,” this shows the roles of men and women during this time. The author portrays the father as the provider for the family. It also shows that by him having the ability to forbid her if he was home, the power of men in the household.
When meeting the hunter in the woods, he offered to carry her basket, which shows the chivalrous ideology that men are supposed to carry things for women and take care of them. This idea is also exemplified by giving the huntsman her knife, she is relying on him for protection had they ran into any wolves on their journey. She is portrayed to be naïve, in the scene of them walking through the forest. It is evident in her reaction to his statement of the compass always giving him perfect accuracy.
Throughout the rest of their journey in the forest and the story, the value of innocence is shown. Her flirtatious, yet resilient ways show that she showed interest but her coyness. This is exemplified in the line “commonplace of a rustic seduction; she lowered her eyes and blushed.” The value is also shown in the ending. With showing no fear that the once dashing huntsman was really a wolf, she shed her image of being innocent. The value of this is evident in the line “carnivore incarnate, only immaculate flesh appeases him.” This line shows you that his desire to want to devour her died down because she no longer showed her virginal and innocent ways.