The Little Match Girl: Question and Answers

The Little Match Girl: Question and Answers

Part A: Essay-Type Questions

Q1. With reference to the lesson The Little Match Girl, answer the following questions. Examine the ending of the story from the perspectives of a reader and the

little girl. Do you think there would be a difference?

From the perspective of a reader, the ending is a tragic one. That a girl her age had to work is itself a shame. Moreover, she had to work on a bitterly cold, snowy evening bareheaded and barefooted. While the world around her celebrated with feasts inside the warmth of their homes, she sat outside in the open, shivering in the cold and hungry. The only comfort she experienced was a series of visions. She finally froze to death and was not discovered until the next morning.

From the perspective of the little girl, the ending can be considered a happy and hopeful one. She came from an impoverished family that literally did not have a proper roof above their heads. To add to this misery, there was no one to love her. Her father was cruel and would beat her for not making a sale. The only person who showed any affection towards her, her grandmother, was no more. The girl herself welcomed death towards the end when she saw a vision of her grandmother. The fact that she died with a smile on her face is also an indication that for her, death might not have been such a tragedy after all. It was a release from an unloved existence.

Thus, the ending can be seen differently depending on whose perspective it is.

Q2. Why do you think the poor girl did not light a roaring fire, choosing instead to light a single match at a time?

The poor little girl was freezing outside on New Year's Eve. She had no shoes on her

feet and nothing to cover her head either, and was trying to keep warm by huddling

in a corner and pulling her legs under herself. The girl had initially hesitated lighting a match for fear of getting a beating from her father. However, the cold was so severe that it forced her to light one match. Even then she had intended to burn only a single stick. The tiny flame however gave her some comfort and she felt as if she was in front of a furnace. When the first match burnt out, she lit a second match that offered her an view of a table laden with food. Her third matchstick showed her sitting under a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, while the fourth one showed her her dead grandmother.

These comforting visuals provided her with much more happiness than a roaring fire would have. They provided her with things she wanted more than anything a comfortable home, good food and a loving family. Perhaps this is why it did not occur to her to find things with which she could light a proper fire that would have lasted through the night.

Part B: Reference to Context 

Q1. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

In the cold and gloom a poor little girl walked, bareheaded and barefoot, through the streets. She had been wearing slippers, it is true, when she left home, but what good were they?

i. When and where does the story take place?

The story takes place on an extremely cold New Year's Eve. It was snowing and was getting dark. The main action of the story takes place outside on the streets and in a corner formed by two houses.

ii. Why was the poor little girl walking through the streets? Describe her appearance and condition. The poor little girl was trying to sell matches. She carried a large quantity of matches in her apron and had a packet in her hand as well.

She had long golden hair which curled around her neck. She wore an old apron. Because she did not have anything covering her head or her feet, she was cold. She was hungry as well.

iii. Why does the author say that the shoes worn by the little girl were no good? What happened to them?

The little girl had worn her mother's shoes which were too big for her and most likely gave her very little protection from the cold. Hence, the author feels that they were no good.

The girl ended up losing the shoes when she tried to dodge a carriage that was being driven very fast. She couldn't find one, while the other was snatched up by a boy.

iv. How do these lines set the tone for the rest of the story?

These lines are from the initial paragraphs of the story The Little Match Girl. They help describe the setting of the story as well as introduce us to the protagonist. As readers, we also get an indication that the whole story would be dark and grim. They also help create sympathy for the protagonist of the story.

v. What is the significance of setting the story on New Year's Eve? By setting the story on New Year's Eve, the author underscores the pitiable condition of the little match girl and evokes sympathy in the minds of the readers. New Year's Eve is a day of celebration and love. While everyone else was enjoying feasts in the warmth of their homes with their loved ones, the little match girl was out on a cold, snowy evening alone and hungry. She also had no loving home to go back to. New Year's Eve is also the last day of a year. The author draws a parallel with the girl's life here-both the year and the girl's life end simultaneously.

Q2. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

She huddled down in a heap in a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected further out into the street than the other, but though she tucked her little legs up under her she felt colder and colder.

i. Describe the happy sights around the little girl as she sat outside in the cold. Since it was New Year's Eve, there was a spirit of celebration in the air. Bright lights shone through every window and the smell of roast goose pervaded the street.

ii. Why did the little girl not go back home? The little girl had not managed to sell even a single match that day. She was afraid to go back emptyhanded as her father would beat her. Moreover, her house was in a dilapidated condition and would not keep her warm.

iii. What did the little girl feel like doing when her hands became numb? Why do you think she hesitated?

The little girl looked longingly at the matches she was supposed to have sold. She desperately wanted to light one and warm her numb fingers.

I feel she hesitated because of her strict father. Had she used up the matches

that she was supposed to sell, her father would have certainly beat her more.

iv. What did the girl see when she lit the first match?

 When the girl lit the first match, its flame was warm and bright, but strange. The little girl felt as if she was sitting in front an iron stove with polished brass knobs and brass instruments. It had a roaring fire that gave out warmth. The little girl slowly started stretching out her feet towards the stove when it vanished.

v. How does the story convey the message of staying hopeful?

Despite the grim setting and the tragic ending of the story, it conveys the message of unrelenting hope through the protagonist. Though the little match girl finds herself in a nightmarish situation, her visions are one of warmth, love and joy. She dreams of a better life where she has enough food, a warm house and loving family members. Even when she passes away, she has a smile on her face.

Q3. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

She struck another - it burnt clearly and, where the light fell upon the wall, the bricks became transparent, like gauze. She could see right into the room, where a shining white cloth was spread on the table.

i. When did the little girl see this vision? What else did she see that time? 

The little girl was lighting matches to keep herself warm and saw this vision when she struck the second match.

On the table, she saw all signs of a feast. There was beautiful crockery and also a tempting-looking roast goose stuffed with prunes and apples. As she gazed at this, the goose hopped off the table and waddled towards her, with the carving knife and fork in its back.

ii. What did she see when she struck the next match? 

On lighting the third match, the little girl found herself sitting under the most beautiful Christmas tree decorated with a thousand candles and coloured balls. It was larger and prettier than the one she had seen the previous year in a rich merchant's house. The candles on the tree eventually rose high into the sky and became stars.

iii What made the girl light the matches in the packet all at once?

When the girl struck the fourth match, she sawa vision ofherdeadgrandmother whom she loved dearly. Her grandmother was the only person who had ever been affectionate towards her. Since all the other visions disappeared when the matches went out, the little girl was afraid that her grandmother would disappear too. She wanted her grandmother to stay and thought that lighting all the matches at once would help.

iv. What happened after the girl lit all the matches?

When the girl lit all the matches the little girl felt as if they blazed brighter than daylight. Her grandmother seemed to look more beautiful and dignified than ever. Then, her grandmother lifted her and flew high up into the sky. Actually, the little girl passed away after lighting all the matches.

v. Explain the symbolism in the story. 

Like in many fairy tales, ,'The Little Match Girl' also has several symbols. The cold weather is a symbol of the hardship endured by the little girl. It could also be seen as a symbol of the cold attitude of the society towards the poor. The matchsticks are a major source of comfort and hope. It is in the flame from the matchsticks that they girl sees images of warmth, happiness and love. Each of the visions seen by the girl are symbolic as well. The iron stove, the Christmas tree and the roast goose represent the girl's deepest desires- a comfortable life, a loving family and good food.

Q4. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow.

But in the cold dawn, in the corner formed by the two houses, sat the little girl with rosy cheeks and smiling lips, dead-frozen to death on the last evening of the old year. The dawn of the new year rose on the huddled figure of the girl.

i. What circumstances led to the death of the poor girl? 

The little match girl had spent an entire night out in the snow on a bitterly cold New Year's Eve with nothing to help keep her warm. She was bareheaded and barefooted. Although she had lit several matches in an attempt to stay warm, the small flames hardly lasted a few seconds. It is quite clear that she had become delirious owing to the cold very early on as she started hallucinating.

ii. How does the author give readers a hint about the girl's tragic end earlier in the story? The author has used foreshadowing to give readers a hint about the girl's death. The little girl saw a falling star in the sky and immediately remarked "Now someone is dying". Her grandmother had told her than whenever a star fell, a soul would go to God. Sadly, it was the little girl herself who was dying.

iii. Why was the girl smiling? Do you think she was truly happy?

The girl was smiling because she had beautiful visions of love, warmth and happiness in her last moments. Also, she was happy to be reunited with her dear grandmother, even if it was only in death. Her grandmother was the only person who truly loved her.

Yes, I think the girl was truly happy as death finally released her from a miserable existence. She would not have to endure crushing poverty or live with an unloving, cruel father anymore.

iv. Did the end surprise you? Why/why not?

Yes, the ending surprised me since fairy tales usually have happy endings. Sometimes the protagonists do have to face challenges. However, in the end, he or she finds happiness of some sort.

In The Little Match Girl, the protagonist leads a life of misery and is unloved. Furthermore, the story ends with her dying in the cold, alone and friendless on a day when everyone else was celebrating. This leaves readers feeling hollow and sad.

v. Analyse the character of the little girl.

The little girl is extremely poor. She alks around barehe and barefoot on a chilly, snowy winter day. She is unloved. Perhaps this is why she is nameless in the story. She is so scared of getting a beating from her father that she chooses to endure the cold rather than return home without earning anything. Even death seems to be more acceptable to her. The girl is hopeful and has great faith in God. Even in her terrible condition, she dreams of a warm iron stove, a feast, a Christmas tree and her grandmother. Her faith in God is revealed in the end when she pleads with her dead grandmother's spirit to take her along. Her faith makes her unafraid of death.