Hans Christian Anderson is a prolific writer within the short story genre. He’s written time-honored classics such as “The Ugly Duckling” and “The Little Mermaid.”
If you have not read his story “The Little Match Girl,” be warned that this review will have spoilers.
Anderson’s stories are famously changed to appeal to a much younger audience. For example, “The Little Mermaid” has the mermaid cutting out her tongue and eventually turning into seafoam. Disney removed much of the more mature aspects of the story to fit with children. “The Little Match Girl,” however, never received a renowned visual adaptation.
Instead it’s lived on as a sad yet beautiful tale about a little girl and her bundle of matches.
I remember reading this story for the first time as a young child. At the time it made me cry out of pure sympathy for this little girl.
You descend with her, down a bleak staircase toward the inevitable.
Each match she lights brings her little glimpses of happiness. She finally sees her departed grandmother, the only person to show her love in her life, and wants nothing more than to be with her.
She thus takes the bundle and lights all the matches at once.
Together, her and her grandmother ride off into a better place to be with God.
The people that find her the next day see a small girl, dead from hypothermia.
What they don’t know about is all the beautiful experiences she had while dying — lighting match after match and seeing visions of Christmas trees and delicious food.
It’s easy to feel sorry for the girl. No one wants to die alone and cold in the street, but what Anderson shows us is not the final morbid moments of a little girl. Instead, it is a glimpse into the happiest time of her life.
She can’t return home because her father will beat her, and the feeble roof provides little shelter from the cold.
She finds solace in the light; each match is another step into a better world. She can finally escape from the harsh reality she’s been living in.
In this case, death is a kindness. It does not steal a young girl with years of happiness ahead of her. It ushers a sad and abused child away from anything that could hurt her.
Accepting that death is the best alternative is a harsh reality in this story. That concept is hard for many to understand.
At the time of the story’s publication, resources like Child Protective Services were not a thing. It would’ve taken something greater than herself to free the little match girl from life’s shackles.
Anderson is a master at creating scenarios that evoke conflicting emotions from the reader.
In “The Little Mermaid” we want the title character to end up with the Prince, but she puts herself through much pain to achieve that.
In “The Little Match Girl,” it is natural to want her to return home and escape the icy grip of hypothermia. However, if she returns home without selling any matches, she risks a harsh beating from her father.
The reader must take solace in the last happy moments that the little girl experiences. She sees what a “normal,” happy life would be like. With roasted duck and beautiful Christmas trees.
Finally, she can escape her terrible life and go on to be with her grandmother once more.
Although it is sad, it’s arguably the best outcome for her.
“The Little Match Girl” stands the test of time by giving the reader a look into how even the light from a single match can brighten someone’s entire life.
Griffen Winget can be reached at [email protected]