The Little Match Girl ICSE

"The Little Match Girl"

Extract- 1.

Most terribly cold it was; it snowed…….was the good of that?

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

It was New Year ’s Eve. It was terribly cold, snow was falling and darkness was gathering.

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

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

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

From the description of her clothes and her physical condition, the author has revealed that she belonged to a poor household.

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

The girl was sent out in the cold by her father to sell matches. Since she could not sell any matches, she was afraid of going back home because of the fear of being beaten by her father.

5.   How appropriate is the title of the story?

The title is apt as the story revolves around a little girl, who sells matches. The author has not given any name to the girl and she is referred to in the entire story as ‘a poor little girl.’ This indicates that she was just one of the many poor children belonging to the lower rung of the society, during the Victorian Era, who had to face hardships because of poverty.


Extract- 2.

So the little maiden walked on with her tiny naked feet…….a bundle of them in her hand.

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

The protagonist of the story, the little match girl. The little girl had lost her slippers as she ran across the street to escape from two carriages that were being  driven terribly fast. One slipper could not be found and the other was taken away by an urchin.

2.   Why was the girl carrying matches with her?

She was carrying matches as she was sent by her father to sell matches to earn some money.

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

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. The girl is thus  rightly described as a very  picture of sorrow.

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

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.

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

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 need of their less fortunate brethren, especially of the innocent children.



Extract- 3.

Her little feet she drawn close p to her…. Stopped up with straw and rags.

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

The girl was sitting in a corner formed by two houses, one of which projected further out into the street than the other. To warm her fingers, she pulled a match from the packet to light it by striking it on the wall.

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

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

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

Although not referred directly,  it can be inferred that her father might have been unemployed  and out of frustration and dejection used to beat her.

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

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.

5.   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.



Extract- 4.

She rubbed another against the wall……could  see into the room.

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

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.

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

When she lit the second match, the girl saw a feast laid on the table. The feast comprised of a roasted goose stuffed with apples and dried plums.

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

Iron stove, the little girl felt as if she was sitting in front of the heat of the stove, which is symbolic of the feelings of warmth and safety which she longed for and it reminded her of her grandmother. The evergreen Christmas tree is a sign of undying life, rebirth and stamina needed to endure the winter months. Falling star becomes a symbol of a soul ascending to God. Her vision is symbolic of her soul’s ascendance into heaven.

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

It is for selling matches that the girl in the story  was out on the street on a bitterly cold New Year’s eve. It is by lighting the matches that the little girl tried to keep herself warm and it is in the light of the matches that she sees the visions of an iron stove, a sumptuous feast, a twinkling Christmas tree and her late grandmother.

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

When she lighted a match and saw her grandmother, she did not want to lose her and therefore, lighted the whole bundle of matches. She found hope in the image of her loving grandmother.



Extract- 5.

But in the corner, at the cold hour of dawn……. With her grandmother she had  entered on the joys of a new year.

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

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.

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

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.

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

The little 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. She remembered her grandmother’s view about the stars falling from the sky. Unable to sell matches, the little girl preferred to sit in the cold and imagine her grandmother’s face, full of tenderness and love.

4.   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.

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