The Little Matchgirl by Hans Christian Andersen
"The Little Match Girl" is a literary fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen, a Danish poet and novelist. The novella, about the dreams and hopes of a dying boy, was originally published in 1845. It has been adapted for a variety of platforms, including animation, live-action, and virtual reality films, as well as television musicals.
A impoverished little girl, shivering and barefoot, attempts to sell matches in the street on a chilly New Year's Eve. She huddles in the alley between two homes, afraid to go home because her father would punish her for not selling any matches, and lights matches one by one to warm herself. However, passers-by ignore the girl since no one buys from her, leaving her to suffer alone in the freezing weather. She sees a sequence of reassuring pictures in the flames of the matches: the warm iron stove, the wonderful roast goose, and the enormous gorgeous Christmas tree. As each vision's match burns out, it fades away. A shooting star appears in the sky, which her late grandmother had informed her signals someone is on their way to Heaven. She sees her late grandma, the only person who ever treated her with love and care, in the flame of the next match. To keep her grandmother's vision alive for as long as possible, the child ignites the entire package of matches.
When the matches run out, the girl dies and her grandma takes her soul to Heaven. Passers-by find the girl's body with a grin on her face the next morning and express their sorrow. They are unaware of her amazing visions or how happy she is with her grandma in Heaven.
Detailed information:
Author: Hans Christian Andersen
Published: December 1, 1845
Genre: Classics, childrens, holiday, fiction
Link to read: goodreads.com/book/show/342994.The_Little_Match_Girl
