Reflection on the Imagery of Match Flames in the Tale 'The Little Match Girl'

Prompt: Reflect on the Imagery of Match Flames in 'The Little Match Girl'

Reflection on the Imagery of Match Flames in the Tale 'The Little Match Girl'

I. Outline Reflecting on the Imagery of Match Flames in 'The Little Match Girl' (Standard)

1. Introduction

- Introduction to the author Hans Christian Andersen and the work 'The Little Match Girl'
- Introduction to the imagery of match flames.

2. Main Body

a. The Circumstances of the Little Match Girl
- Orphaned early, living with a violent father.
- Daily struggles selling matches to survive.

b. The Match Flame as the Sole Source of Warmth on the Cold Winter Night
- On a bitterly cold New Year's Eve, unable to sell all her matches, she hesitates to go home.
- Due to the intense cold, she strikes a match to warm herself.

c. The Match Flame Symbolizing the Pitiable Dreams of the Little Girl
- The first match illuminates a scene resembling a warm iron stove, radiating gentle warmth. → A simple yet distant wish for the girl.
- The flame from the second match helps her see inside a house, where a lavish dining table, a roasted goose with a knife and fork on its back, advances towards her. → The girl longs for a meal to combat the cold.
- The third match lights up, revealing a splendid Christmas tree with sparkling, glittering candles. → The girl dreams of enjoying the New Year's Eve festivities like other children.
- The fourth match lighting up is also when she sees her grandmother smiling at her. → The dream of living beside her kind-hearted grandmother.
- The imagery of the match flames symbolizes the desire for happiness and warmth under a loving home for the unfortunate little match girl.
- Those flames also evoke a sense of compassion in the readers when reflecting on the challenging life of the ill-fated match girl.
- The imagery of the flames also represents the humane voice of the author.

3. Conclusion

- Summarize the significance of the match flame in the literary work.

II. Sample Essay Appreciation of the Match Flames Imagery in 'The Little Match Girl' (Standard)

If Italy has Gianni Rodari, England has A.A. Milne,... then Denmark boasts the renowned writer Hans Christian Andersen, celebrated for his children's stories. Many of his tales have left a profound impact on readers worldwide, and one such narrative is the short story 'The Little Match Girl.'

The main character in the story is a match-selling child with a pitiful and miserable life. Orphaned from a young age, living with a violent father in a dark attic adjacent to the roof, despite having 'stuffed straw into the large gaps in the wall,' the 'wind still whistled through.' On New Year's Eve, while others gathered with family to welcome the new year, she remained bareheaded, barefoot, enduring hunger and cold, 'groping in the darkness.' Alone, she faced the harsh weather. Despite not having eaten all day, she dared not return home for fear of her father's abuse. That father has no love for her and is ready to use a whip when she fails to sell any matches all day or 'no one buys a single coin's worth from her.'

Amidst the skin-cutting cold and loneliness in the dark night, she sat 'huddled in a corner, between two houses, one of which was set back a bit,' deciding to strike the matches to warm herself. 'The cost of striking one match to stave off a bit of cold, right? If only I could pull out a match and strike it against the wall to warm my fingers.' It is also the rightful desire of a small child not to experience happiness in her own home. The successive flames lit up, dispelling the cold loneliness of the winter night. In the freezing night, the match flame became the only source of comfort for the little girl in the bitter cold New Year's Eve. Thanks to those flames, the girl felt warmth in the last moments of her life.

Not only did the match flames help the little girl warm up, but they also carried her dreams and hopes. She risked striking the first match, 'the flame at first blue, gradually disappeared, turned white, bright pink around the wooden stick, dazzlingly beautiful.' The miraculous light emitted from the new flame made her feel like she was 'sitting in front of an iron stove with gleaming copper reliefs,' 'inside, the fire burned cheerfully, and gentle heat wafted out.' She dreamed of spending hours in front of a warm stove on a bitterly cold night when 'snow covered the ground, and the wind howled.' That dream, though not overly extravagant, was a luxury for the little girl. In such harsh weather, the dream of sitting by the stove made readers deeply moved.

The first match, shining brightly for only a short time before extinguishing, prompted the girl to strike the second match, 'the match flared up and shone brightly,' allowing her to see inside the house, where a table was set with 'a white tablecloth, and on the table were all precious porcelain dishes, and there was even a roast goose,' but the miraculous thing that delighted her was 'our goose jumped off the platter and carried the knife and fork on its back, advancing towards the little girl.' Perhaps, due to hunger, she dreamt of having a sumptuous meal? It was a compensatory gift for her, for the months of hardship without proper meals. For a child, joy is simply being able to eat a hearty meal. Such a simple desire, yet the little match girl could not attain it. When the match went out, the fabric curtain returned, making the walls 'dense and cold,' with no dining table at all, only desolate streets, bitterly cold, blanketed in white snow, the biting wind blowing, and a few passersby hurriedly heading to their rendezvous, completely indifferent to the girl's poverty.

Here is a reflection on the depiction of the match flame in the story The Little Match Girl. To delve deeper into the entire work, you can explore articles such as: Analysis of the short story The Little Match Girl, Analyzing the four dreams of the little match girl in the short story The Little Match Girl, Analyzing the character of the little match girl in the short story of the same name by Andersen, Thoughts on the conclusion of The Little Match Girl story.