Theme of the Story The Little Match Girl
Though The Little Match Girl is not set in a specific place, Andersen portrays in this tale not only a realistic and crude view of society in Victorian times, but also a deep criticism to social class differentiation. At those time, children were not regarded the same way as the people regard them nowadays. Instead, they were viewed a ‘miniature adults’ and were usually used for cheap labour. Andersen takes advantage of these strong social differences to leave a moral at the end of his tale. This consists of the idea that the children should be considered as creative people who are able to transcend difficult situations through the power of imagination. The girl who was suffering from the cold, was still capable of imagining certain things that would make her feel better about her situation such as, huge Christmas trees, a table full of Christmas food and her grandmother’s loving face.
The Little Match Girl can be analysed as a work of opposites. Andersen plays with the interaction between violence and love, poverty and wealth, struggle and redemption, life and death. These constant relationships are displayed in such a manner that keeps the reader entertained during the reading process and is later left with a moral learning.
Violence and Love :
The reader learns about the family situation the little girl experiences daily. The parents do not care if it is cold outside and consequently send their daughter out to sell matches anyway. The girl does not have the appropriate clothing to cover herself from the winter cold. She is not capable of selling any matches and scared to return home because her father will beat her for poor work. Instead of going back, the girl prefers to sit in the snow and imagine her grandmother’s face, full of tenderness and love. The reminder of her grandmother’s love helps her to keep warm and get through this painful moment, but the passersby remain oblivious to her suffering, just like her parents.
Poverty and Wealth :
Andersen describes the social stratification of Victorian times in just a few sentences. During this historical period, while the ‘middle class’ emerges and takes over an important percentage of work places, the ‘under class’ grows resentful of both aristocracy and middle class, remaining unemployed and living in poverty. Although Andersen does not explain the girl’s background, he denotes social differentiation by opposing the extremes. It can be understood that the girl and her family stand on the less fortunate side and it also gives an idea of their social impediments.
Straggle and Redemption, Life and Death:
Even though the character is suffering from the cold and hunger and the fear of going back home, she finds hope in the image of her loving grandmother. Nobody helps her or acknowledges her suffering, so she begs for her grandmother to take her with her and, in death, her wish comes to be true. She is now dead in the cold winter, but with a smile on her face because she is with her grandmother and God. This can be seen as an allegory for Christian faith, in regards to the notion that the good people go to heaven to enter the kingdom of God. The fact that the little girl suffered during her lifetime, denotes a more significant sense of purpose to the girl’s struggle and the tale’s ending.
Treasure Trove Poems and Short Stories Workbook Answers