1. of “The Three Little Pigs”
Literary Criticism
of “The Three Little Pigs”

2. Why engage with literary criticism?
A good analogy:
Who “enjoys” a car more?
Person A who drives it day by day
Person B who can rebuild parts of the car and improve it (i.e. a person who has a critical understanding of the car’s working parts and can appreciate it)
Person B: act of rebuilding is more creative, involved, and connecting; not just simply driving
Literary criticism allows reader to participate in and connect with the act of artistic creation by building meaning.

3. Critical Perspectives
Feminist
Marxist
Psychoanalytic
Historical
Multicultural
Each critic will have three steps that will be modeled here using “The Three Little Pigs.”
Observe how to analyze this text via different literary criticism lenses.

4. Feminist: Step 1 Female Character: Mother Pig
Lack of other female characters
Builders and resource providers are all men
Wolf is male

5. Feminist: Step 2
Mother Pig is portrayed as caregiver. She loves about her children, as shown by her emotional response to their leaving.
Mother cannot provide for sons financially. She sends them to seek fortune because she is unable to support them.
She acts as a subject who creates action that is a catalyst for the story’s events. Her sons listen to her, but for two out of three, her decision to have them leave the house causes tragedy.

6. Feminist: Step 3 Mother Pig is not a strong character.
Her emotional caregiving is overshadowed by her inabilities to protect and provide for her children.
Her only act ultimately causes tragedy and the fall of a complete family unit.
All other main and minor characters who affect action are male, implying their more powerful role in society.

7. In both cased, stratification of social classes causes destruction.
Marxist: Step 1
Social Ladder
The pig sons venture out on their own to build houses and protect themselves; no leadership and no institutions providing aid or instruction = INDIVIDUALISM
First two pigs: proletariat represented as naïve, lazy, slothful
Third pig: proletariat represented as clever, serious, and ready
Bullying, tyrannical wolf = EVIL OF CAPITALISM
Men (humans) with resources
OPTION ONE
OPTION TWO
Men
Wolf
Animals
(Pigs and wolf have been forced to struggle against one another for resources. Wolf is also )
Pigs
In both cased, stratification of social classes causes destruction.

8. Marxist: Step 2
Why?
Poor leadership in building strong houses, destruction results from ignorance in practical matters of survival
Mother may represent failure of education system in preparing working class for success
Lack of resources in the working class: mother lacks finances and pigs must build through any means.
MEN with the resources give poor materials regardless of knowing they cannot build a successful house = no sense of community
Wolf is self-motivated and sees the community as available to his exploit

9. Marxist: Step 3
Self-reliance not portrayed as effective or practical; need for community and education
No collaboration between leadership, those with resources, and working class pigs who all must build
Third pig is able to defeat the greedy wolf = idea that revolution is possible if the best of the proletariat could be honed and if all could work together to avoid failure. Optimistic ending.
Will require better education and more equitable sharing of resources
Third pig is able to defeat the greedy wolf = idea that capitalism has caused the destruction of the lower classes. Tragic ending.

10. Multicultural: Step 1 Inferences made largely based on illustrations.
Pigs, light skin color; all other minor characters are white
Wolf is darker in color
Men (humans) have the resources
Set in rural environment, diction specific to material resources

11. Multicultural: Step 2 Lack of multicultural representation
No urban representation
Culture of pigs represented more kindly than wolf
Varying degrees of cleverness, kindness, material wealth all within pig culture
Wolf is singularly evil, greedy, destructive
Wolf does not seem to be integrated into main stream culture, or any other culture
Wolf = predator, Pigs = prey, Man = bystander
Strong polarization between two different groups
No sense of community between cultural groups
Poor, working family of the pigs
The tradesmen who have resources

12. Multicultural: Step 3
Lack of stereotypical language because of lack of representation, which is in and of itself a problem.
Can be rectified by reading different versions
How can ALL children relate to lessons about self-reliance, community, danger, etc.? Or, are these lessons not seen as important to this audience, as the lack of representation suggests?
Troubling lack of concern between members of different socio-economic groups
Female character only portrayed as inept
Wolf seemingly ostracized from mainstream culture

13. Psychoanalytic: Step 1 Id, Ego, Superego Character Motivations
ID = wolf’s desire to eat for survival, selfish instinct, immediate need for food uninterrupted by any moral or legal-related questioning; first two pigs’ attempts at survival through building home are immediate and lack thought
SUPEREGO = third pig understands threat of the wolf
EGO = Third pig uses conscience and reasoning to meet id’s need for protection by taking the slower route to build a sturdier, safer house.
Character Motivations
Wolf has been outcast by family and society. Cannot fill psychological need for love and belonging to fills his hunger with mind-tricks and blood of his prey.
Physiological need for hunger = pigs are understandable prey

14. Psychoanalytic: Step 2
Reliance on id causes problems for the both the wolf (unsuccessful in end) and the first two pigs (prefer to play and be lazy than build safe homes).
Wolf’s inability to fulfill needs in morally sound ways results in no choice but to fulfill needs in other ways

15. Psychoanalytic: Step 3
Author might be hinting at the danger in thinking only at the immediacy of desires and dangers. Dangers are only overcome after experience, which allows ego to drive actions.
Wolf represents psychological idea of id. Wolf is a good example of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and what happens when needs are not met.

16. Historical: Step 1
Original time period of this tale: 12th century Medieval England
Feudal system
Class determined by land owned and whether or not you were a free person
Growth of trade
Towns grow as lords sell land for money = growing middle class (own land but owe service)
Church is powerful

17. Historical: Step 2
No biographical information when referring to the folk tale version from 12th century England
However, versions from different authors could be analyzed to see how author’s life affects changes in the story. How do those changes reflect various authors?

18. Historical: Step 3 Connections:
New “middle class” struggles for resources
Civil unrest between King Henry and barons (low nobility)
Inclusion of Christian ideas
Wolf = gluttony
First two pigs = innocence
Third pig = youngest, favored son who is the most righteous
Good defeats evil in the end

19. Debate Between Critics
Where do you think the different critics would agree or disagree?
Brainstorm some points for debate and topics for discussion.