The Little Match Girl

 

The Little Match Girl

Summary

On a freezing New Year’s Eve a poor young girl, shivering and barefoot, tries to sell matches in the street. Afraid to go home because her father will beat her for failing to sell any matches, she huddles in the alley between two houses and lights matches, one by one, to warm her.

In the flame of the matches she sees a series of comforting visions: a warm stove, a holiday feast, a happy family, and a Christmas tree. Each vision disappears as its match burns out. In the sky she sees a shooting star, which her late grandmother had told her means someone is on their way to Heaven. In the flame of the next match she sees her grandmother, the only person to have treated her with love and kindness. To keep the vision of her grandmother alive as long as possible, the girl lights the entire bundle of matches.

When the matches are gone the girl dies, and her grandmother carries her soul to Heaven. The next morning, passers-by find the girl frozen, and express pity. They do not know about the wonderful visions she had seen, or how happy she is with her grandmother in heaven. "The Little Match Girl" was first published December 1845, in Dansk Folkekalender for 1846.

Pasage -1

i.   What was special about the particular evening in the story? What kind of weather was there in the evening?

i) It was New Year’s Eve and weather was bitterly cold. Snow was falling and darkness was gathering.

ii.   The girl had slippers on, but they were of no use. Why?

ii) The slippers that the girl was wearing belonged to her dead mother. They were too big for her and hence were of no use.

iii.  How can you conclude from the story that the girl was poor and dejected?

iii) The girl was dejected and poor in very sense because she was bare feet and was sent out on a cold night  to sell matches, which was another form of begging at that time. No one bought matches from her so she was unable to earn a single penny. She was shiviring and hungry.

iv.   Why was the girl out in the cold? What prevented her from going back home?

 iv) Girl was out in the cold to earn some money. The girl did not dare to go home as she was unable to earn a single penny. Her father would surely beat her if she returned empty hand; moreover it was so cold at home because there was nothing but a roof above them.

v. How appropriate is the title of the story?

v) The appropiation of the title of the story is judged by how well it reflects the content of the story. [This line can be used for any chapter’s answer]. The title ‘Little Match Girl’ is quite apt as it revolves around a little girl who sells matches. She had not given a name as she represents one of Th many poor children belonging to lower class in Victorian Era, who had to face hardship because of poverty.

 

Passage – 2

i.   Who is referred to as little maiden in the extract? How did she lose her shoes?

i)  ‘The Little Match Girl’ or the protangist of the story is referred to ‘little maiden’ in the extract. She lost her slippers when she was escaping from two carriages that were running very fast. One could not be found and other was taken by a boy.

ii.   Why was the girl carrying matches with her?

ii) The little girl is trying to sell matches to earn. It was another form of begging in the Victorian Era. 

iii.   What does the author describe the girl as a very picture of sorrow?

iii) The girl has been described as 'a very picture of sorrow' because every aspect of her has a sorrow to explain.

The child is poor and motherless.

She does not get any affection form her father but is sent out in the biting cold to sell matches.

The child spends her entire night by huddling herself against a wall.

She dies of cold, hunger and abuse.

 

iv.   What tells you that the girl was not only trembling with cold but also with hunger?

iv)  Her hallucination reflects the need and desire of a poor, hungry  child. In her second  vision, she saw a feast  laid on a table. This vision addresses how hungry the small girl was , and if she did not freeze, she would surely had died of starvation.

v.   Explain how the story is interspersed with didactic elements..

v) A didactic story is the one which is intended to teach people a moral lesson..The story is meant to teach, especially the wealthy, to show empathy for those, who do not have the basic necessities of life. It reminds them not to overlook the needs of the less fortunate, especially the innocent children. It teaches them to be charitable and help the poor during the festivals and throughout the year, to alleviate their suffering.The purpose of this story is very meaningful because it is an issue that is not only limited to those times but relevant to today.

Passage – 3

i. Where was the girl sitting? How did she try to warm her fingers?

i) The girl huddled down in a heap in a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected further out into the street than the other. Her thin hands were almost numb with cold which she tried to warm up by lighting match sticks.

ii.   When did the girl feel as if she were sitting before a large iron stove? Why did she feel this way?

ii) It was a hallucination which depicted the girl’s longing for warmth as well as love of her family.

iii. Explain what kind of relationship the girl shared with her father.

iii) The girl had an affectionless relation with her father. Her father was ruthless who sent her out to earn money in such cold. She was a victim of child abuse and was not fed and clothed properly.She was scared to go home for the fear of being beaten by her father. The warmth of love which she should have got from her father was substituted by her lighting matches.

iv. With reference to the story bring out the theme of class differentiation.

iv) During the Victorian Era, the middle class emerged and took over an important percentage of work places. It is at this time, there appeared an under class, which remained unemployed and lived in abject poverty. This class resented both the aristocracy and the middle class. There existed a huge gap between the financial condition of this class and the wealthy.

v.   The children in Victorian society were not only orphaned but also deserted, neglected and abused. Give evidence from the story to prove this statement.

The children were regarded as miniature adults who were used for cheap labour. In this story, the child is poor and motherless. She does not get any affection or love form her father but is sent out in the biting cold to sell matches. She became a victim of child labour and of physical abuse at the hands of her father.

 

Passage-4.

i.   What happened when the girl lit the first match?

i) When she lit the first match, she had a vision of a large iron stove and felt its warmth and safety which she longed for. It reminded her of the love and affection which she got from her grandmother.

ii. What did the girl see in the window when she lit the second match?

ii) When the girl lit the second matchstick she saw a roast goose stuffed   with apple and dried plums, which hopped down from the dish and came up to her, seeing the goose come to her symbolises her hunger pangs.

iii.   Explain how the girl’s  visions are symbolic of her undying hope.

iii)  The little small and poor girl, who is suffering from cold and hunger and apathy of the people around her imagined about certain things which she desperately longed for and which made her feet better, including an iron stove, a huge Christmas rree and a table laden with delicious food. The girl imagines her deceased grandmother's face just because, she had faith and hope.

iv. What does the light from the matches symbolise in the story?

 iv)  The light from the matches symbolise the light of God and hope. They are symbolic of the warmth which the little girl was longing for.

v.   Explain why the girl lighted the whole bundle of matches at the end?

v)  When the little girl lit the match stick for the third time she saw her old grandmother. She was delighted to see her and said her to take her along. She did not want her to vanish. As the rest of her visions had vanished so she lit up the entire bundle of matches to keep her grandmother in visibility.

 

Passage-5.

i.   Which girl is referred to in the extract? Why does she have a rosy cheeks and a smiling mouth?

i) The little match girl who died of cold and hunger is referred to here. Her cheeks had turned rosy because of extreme cold. Moreover she has a smiling  mouth because her wish to be with her loving grandmother comes true through her death. Her smile indicates that the girl is relieved of her pain through divine redemption.

ii.   What is referred to as “beautiful things” in the extract above? How does the girl encounter these “beautiful things”?

ii) Her vision of an iron stove, a sumptuous feast, a twinkling Christmas tree and her late grandmother are referred to as beautiful things. It is by lighting  the matches that she gets to encounter these beautiful things.

iii.  What kind of relationship existed between the girl and her deceased grandmother?

iii)  The Iittle girl's grandmother was dead but was the only person, whom she remembered fondly. She has been described as the only one who loved the little girl.It seems that the little girl used to hear stories from her grandmother as she remembered her grandmother's view about the stars falling from the sky. The memory of her grandmother's helped her keep warm while others ignored her.

iv) How does the extract bring out the hope for a better life after death?

 The girl pleaded with her grandmother to take her to heaven and both of them flew in brightness and in joy to be with God. The girl’s smiling face after her death thus symbolizes a better afterlife.