The Little Match Girl Short Story

The author of this story, The Little Match Girl, is Hans Christian Andersen. On April 2, 1805, in Odense, Denmark, Hans Christian Andersen was born. His mother made money cleaning other people's clothing, while his father made shoes. He was indulged by his parents, who also pushed him to use his imagination. At the age of fourteen, Andersen persuaded his mother to permit him to leave Denmark and try his luck in Copenhagen rather than enrolling in a tailoring program. 

The Little Match Girl

On the last evening of the year, it was bitterly cold, snowing, and almost completely dark. A sad little girl walking down the street in the pitch blackness and cold was wearing no shoes and had no head covering. It's true that she was wearing slippers when she left the house, but what good did it serve? The poor little child lost them when she stumbled across the street due to two terrible fast-moving trains. 

The Little Match Girl

He rushed off with the other slipper when it was grabbed by an urchin and thought it would work brilliantly as a cradle when he eventually had children of his own. One slipper was nowhere to be seen. With her little, nude feet, which were fairly red and blue from the cold, the young woman continued to walk. She had a bundle of matches in her palm and carried many matches in an old apron. All-day long, no one had given her a single farthing or purchased anything from her.

She trembled with cold and hunger — the very image of sorrow, poor fellow!

Her long, fair hair was covered in snowflakes, and it hung in lovely curls about her neck. Of course, she had never thought about that before. Since it was New Year's Eve, there were candles shining from every window, and the air smelled scrumptiously of roast goose.

She took a seat and huddled close together in the nook created by two houses, one of which was further along than the other. She had drawn her small feet closer to her, but she continued to get colder and decided not to go home because she had not sold any matches and could not bring even a penny. Her father would undoubtedly hit her, and at home and it was also cold.

Her little hands were so chilly that they were practically numb. Oh, if she just dared to take one match out of the bundle, draw it up against the wall, and warm her fingers with it, it may bring her a world of comfort. She pulled out one. How it burned, how it blazed, "Rischt!" She put her hands over the flame, which was warm and brilliant like a candle. It was a beautiful light. The young child had already spread her feet out to warm them; but then the tiny flame went out and the stove disappeared, leaving her with nothing in her grasp but the charred remains of the match.

She rubbed another one against the wall; it blazed brilliantly and, where the light hit the wall, the wall turned translucent like a veil, allowing her to look through it and into the chamber. The geese leaped off the plate and scampered over the floor while carrying a knife and fork until they reached the unfortunate young girl. At that point, the match died out, leaving just the thick, chilly, damp wall in its place. She lit a second match.

The Little Match Girl Sitting

The young girl exclaimed, "Someone is just dead!" because her elderly grandmother, the only person who had ever loved her and was now deceased, had explained to her that when a star falls, a soul ascends to God. She struck another match on the wall, and this time there was light. 

The grandmother was visible in the shine, looking so kind, radiant, and full of love. You disappear when the match is out; you disappear like the cosy stove, the succulent roast goose, and the lovely Christmas tree! She immediately rubbed the entire bundle of matches against the wall because she wanted to make sure she could keep her grandma close by. Together, she and the young girl flew to great heights while beaming and joyful—they were with God and there was no colder, hunger, or concern above them.

Little match Girl and the Grandmother

Summary

This is the story of a little match girl. The author tells us about kindness to others through this story. As the author’s mother made money cleaning other people's clothing, while his father made shoes. He was indulged by his parents, who also pushed him to use his imagination. Thus, in this story, he depicts the same.