The Little Match Girl : Context and Summary

The Little Match Girl : Context and Summary

Context

Hans Christian Andersen hailed from Denmark. Born in a poor family, Andersen endured hardship in his childhood and adolescence. But he eventually emerged as an influential literary figure whose works captivate readers around the world even today.

Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales, although he did also write plays, travelogues, novels and poems. His fairy tales appeal to both children and adults alike. Not only have these been widely translated, they have been adapted into movies, plays, ballets and so on. Andersen drew as much on Danish folklore as on his personal experiences to write the fairy tales.

The Little Match Girl, one of his most popular stories, was published in 1845. This was the time of the Industrial Revolution in Europe when class differences were wide and child labour was prevalent. The story is a touching account of a little girl who sells matches for a living. The girl meets a tragic end as she freezes to death by the roadside while those around her celebrate the arrival of a new year. The story evokes compassion for the underprivileged, highlighting the dismal conditions of their life. It is also a story of hope in the face of adversity.

Summary

Here is a summary of the The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen. There once was a little girl who made a living by selling matches on the street. One snowy evening, she walked around desperately trying to sell her matches. No one had bought any from her that day. It was New Year's Eve and everyone was in a celebratory mood. But the little girl was shivering in the bitter cold. She had neither a scarf to cover her head, nor any shoes on her feet. She had lost the oversized shoes she had been wearing when she left from home.

After a while, numb with the cold, she sat down in a corner between two houses, drawing her legs as close to herself as she could. She wanted to go home, but was too frightened to go. Her father would surely beat her for not making any sale that day. In any case, their house did not have a proper roof and was very cold too.

She looked longingly at the matches, wondering if she should dare light one to warm her fingers.

Finally, unable to bear the cold anymore, she lit one. The warm, bright flame

felt amazing. She felt as if she was sitting in front of an iron stove and started stretching out her cold feet towards it. But the flame died suddenly as the match burnt out, and the stove vanished. So, the little girl struck another match. This time, she could see inside a house. A delicious-looking roast goose sat on the dinner table. The starving girl could not believe her eyes when the goose hopped off the table and walked towards her.

Again, the match went out and the goose disappeared. She lit yet another match and found herself sitting under a huge Christmas tree. It sparkled and glimmered with candles and decorations.

But as the girl put her hand out to touch the tree, it vanished. The candles on the tree rose up to the sky and became stars. Right then, the girl saw a falling star in the sky and remembered what her dear, deceased grandmother used to say. Her grandmother believed that when a star fell, a soul would go to God.

The little match girl struck another match, and this time, she saw her grandmother. Afraid that her grandmother would disappear like the other things, she lit a whole bunch of matches. In the bright blaze, the little girl felt as if she was being lifted into her grandmother's arms. She felt them floating high up in the sky to a place where there was no hunger or fear, only love and happiness.

The next morning, people found the little match girl frozen. to death, but with a smile on her lips. People realised that she had been trying to keep herself warm. But no one knew why she was smiling. No one knew what wonderful visions she saw on New Year's Eve as she accompanied her grandmother to heaven.