The Little Match Girl is a storybook that highlights the complexities in the life of a poor girl. The plot is about a little girl who is struggling to sell matches in the extreme cold weather. The book emphasizes the cruel and harsh behavior of society.
This article will elaborate following terms in detail:
- Author
- Summary
- Analysis
- Themes
- Review
- Lessons
- Conclusion
Author
The Little Match Girl was written by Hans Christian Anderson. He was born in 1805 in Denmark. This story explores the Victorian era. Some famous literary works of H.C.Anderson are:
- The Ugly Duckling
- The Wild Swans
The Little Match Girl Summary
This story explores the misery of a little girl. She belonged to a poor family and had to sell matches to survive. The setting of the story takes place during the evening of the new year. The author discussed that residents of the town were enjoying food in their warm homes. The little girl was selling matches in extremely cold weather. She lost her slippers because of two carriages that went fast. One was stolen by a boy.
The girl was dealing with the cold. Her feet’ color changed to blue because of cold weather. She was barefooted. She decided to go back home but soon realized the outcome. She feared that his father would beat her on selling fewer matches. So, the girl stayed near a building but the weather was very harsh for her.
Soon, the little girl lighted one match and considered an iron stove in her illusion. She assumed that she was getting flame from the stove. After the light vanished, she retained her senses. She ignited the second match and saw a dinner table that was full of food items.
The third time, she saw a Christmas tree in front of her, and that made her smile. She ignited the match for the fourth time and saw her grandmother. She told her that she was tired of misery and coldness. The grandmother promised the little girl that she would take her to heaven.
In the morning, the people of the town saw a girl found dead on girl. A pile of matchsticks was found near her.
Analysis
This story highlights the struggles in middle-class life. The little girl was selling items for the sake of her family in cold weather. This defines the hardships in her life. She was tolerating difficulties in fulfilling her family’s needs. This embodies the strong character of a little girl. She never gives up in the story.
Secondly, the author mentioned the hypocrisy of our society. People were enjoying food on New Year’s Eve but none of them cared for a little girl. They turned a deaf ear to the little girl’s misery.
Themes
The themes are:
Poverty
The author portrayed the social issues especially poverty by elaborating in this story.
Hope
Every time the little girl ignited the matchstick, she regained hope. She created positive images in her mind during harsh times. This can be a great lesson for readers.
Cruel Nature
The author highlighted the nature of society by portraying it as cruel and harsh.
Mortality
The little girl finally met her end in a book. The ending added depth to the story by elaborating on the spiritual journey after worldly struggles.
Responsibility
The little girl remembered her duty. She is truly a role model for readers.
Review
Overall, this story was heart-touching. The narrative was simple. Readers can learn a lot about life through the story’s point of view. This writing elicits an emotional impact on readers’ minds that makes it fascinating. Further, it has highlighted major social issues.
Moral Lessons
This writing provides the following lessons:
- We should take care of loved ones.
- Help needy ones.
- Develop empathy in heart for poor souls
- Selfish acts are lethal to the growth of the individual.
Conclusion: The Little Match Girl Summary
The Little Match Girl is a fascinating literary work highlighting the struggle of a little girl in winter. She was selling matchsticks but never sold anyone on New Year’s Eve. She tolerated the cold but no one in the city cared for her. The ending of the book makes readers feel bad for the poor girl.
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