The Little Match Girl in English | Stories for Teenagers | @EnglishFairyTales

English Fairy Tales

20 Jul 201707:48

Summary

TLDROn a snowy New Year's Eve, a poor little girl named Mary struggles to sell matches. Hungry and cold, she lights matches to warm herself, experiencing visions of warmth and food. As her last match burns, she is comforted by the apparition of her deceased grandmother, who takes her to heaven, ending her suffering.

Takeaways

🎇 The story is set on New Year's Eve in a snowy city.
👧 The protagonist is a young girl selling matches.
❄️ The girl is cold and has been out since morning without selling any matches.
🍰 She sees others enjoying food and warmth, but she is hungry and cold.
👵 Her grandmother is ill and her mother sends her out to sell matches to get food.
🥿 She loses one of her mother's slippers and continues barefoot.
🔥 She lights matches for warmth and to escape her harsh reality.
🪄 Each match she lights reveals a comforting illusion, such as a warm stove or a festive table.
🌌 When she lights a match, she sees a falling star and fears for her grandmother's life.
👵 Her grandmother appears to her through the matches, offering comfort.
🌟 The girl and her grandmother ascend to heaven, symbolizing her death and escape from suffering.

Q & A

What is the setting of the story?
-The story is set in a city on New Year's Eve.
Who is the main character of the story?
-The main character is a little beautiful girl named Mary.
What was Mary's occupation?
-Mary was a match seller, trying to sell matches on the roadside.
Why was Mary selling matches?
-Mary was selling matches to earn money for food because her family was poor and her grandmother was ill.
What was the weather like during the story?
-It was snowing, and the cold was quite piercing.
Why was Mary barefoot?
-Mary was wearing her mother's slippers, but one of them broke, and she couldn't retrieve the other from the gutter.
What did Mary see when she lit her first match?
-When Mary lit her first match, she saw an iron stove that made her feel warm.
What happened when Mary lit her second match?
-The wall next to her turned transparent, allowing her to see a beautifully decorated house with a family having a meal.
What did Mary see when she saw a roasted goose in the house?
-Mary saw a roasted goose, and it appeared to come towards her, making her feel happy due to her hunger.
What did Mary wish for when she saw her grandmother after lighting a match?
-Mary wished for her grandmother to take her away from her cold, hungry, and scared situation.
How did Mary die?
-Mary froze to death in the cold night, and in the morning, she was found by people who felt pity for her.
What is the moral or message of the story?
-The story conveys the harsh realities of poverty and the innocence of a child's imagination as a means of escape from a difficult life.

Outlines

00:00

🎇 A Desolate New Year's Eve

The story is set on New Year's Eve, where a young girl is trying to sell matches in a city covered in snow. Despite the cold and her hunger, she is unable to sell any matches. She observes others enjoying the festive season with food and warmth, while she shivers in the cold, barefoot. Her family situation is grim; her cruel father forces her to sell the matches or face punishment. She loses one of her slippers and decides to continue on foot. Finding a quiet corner, she considers lighting a match for warmth, fearing her father's wrath but driven by the need to escape the biting cold.

05:02

🌌 A Glimpse of Warmth and Joy

In the cold corner, the girl lights a match and experiences a brief moment of warmth and joy as the match transforms her surroundings. She sees a vision of a beautiful, well-lit house with a family enjoying a feast, including a roasted goose. When the match burns out, her joy turns to disappointment as the vision vanishes. She lights another match as she sees a falling star, fearing for her sick grandmother's life. Lighting yet another match, she is comforted by the appearance of her grandmother, who takes her away from the cold and hunger to a place of warmth and light. They fly upwards together, and in the morning, people find the girl dead in the corner, her face illuminated by the sun, a smile on her lips.

Mindmap

Keywords

💡New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve is the evening or entire day of December 31st every year, which is the last day of the Gregorian calendar. It is a time when people often celebrate the coming of the new year. In the video, New Year's Eve is depicted as a time of joy and celebration for others, but for the little girl, it is a stark contrast to her own hardships, as she is trying to sell matches in the cold.

💡Matches

Matches are small sticks coated with combustible chemicals that ignite when rubbed against a rough surface. They are a symbol of the girl's poverty and her desperate attempt to make a living. The matches are central to the video's plot as they are her only hope to earn money and escape her dire situation.

💡Snowfall

Snowfall refers to the act of snow falling from the sky, which often occurs in cold climates. In the video, snowfall is used to emphasize the harsh winter conditions the girl is enduring, highlighting her vulnerability and the bleakness of her situation.

💡Hunger

Hunger is the uncomfortable or painful feeling caused by a lack of food. In the video, the girl's hunger is a constant reminder of her poverty and the struggle to survive. It contrasts with the scenes of other people enjoying food, emphasizing the disparity between her life and those around her.

💡Shivering

Shivering is the involuntary shaking of the body, often due to cold or fear. The girl's shivering in the video is a physical manifestation of her struggle against the cold and her fear of returning home without selling the matches.

💡Barefoot

Being barefoot means not wearing any shoes or footwear. The girl's barefoot state in the video is a symbol of her poverty and the lack of basic necessities. It also adds to the physical hardship she endures as she walks through the snow.

💡Slippers

Slippers are a type of footwear designed for indoor use, typically providing minimal protection. The girl's mother's slippers, which she wears outside, symbolize her family's poverty and the lack of proper clothing, further emphasizing her vulnerability.

💡Threat

A threat is a declaration of an intention to inflict pain, injury, damage, or other hostile actions. In the video, the girl's father's threat to hit her if she doesn't sell the matches adds to the tension and fear she feels, driving her to continue selling despite the harsh conditions.

💡Iron Stove

An iron stove is a type of heating appliance made of iron. In the video, when the girl lights a match, she imagines an iron stove that provides warmth. This represents her longing for comfort and relief from the cold, as well as the power of imagination to provide temporary escape from harsh realities.

💡Transparent Wall

A transparent wall, in the context of the video, is a figment of the girl's imagination when she lights another match. It symbolizes her desire to be part of the warmth and happiness she sees through the 'wall', as well as the barrier between her and the life she dreams of.

💡Roasted Goose

A roasted goose is a type of food, often associated with festive meals. In the video, the roasted goose that the girl sees through the transparent wall represents the abundance and feasting that she is denied. It is a stark contrast to her own hunger and poverty.

💡Grandmother

The grandmother in the video is a figure of love and warmth for the girl. Her appearance when the girl lights a match signifies the girl's longing for comfort, care, and a better life. The grandmother's role is crucial as she ultimately takes the girl to heaven, symbolizing an escape from her suffering.

💡Heaven

Heaven is often described as a place of eternal happiness and peace, often associated with religious beliefs. In the video, heaven represents the girl's escape from her earthly suffering and her entry into a place of eternal joy and comfort, as indicated by her smile and the sunlight on her face.

Highlights

A little girl is selling matches on New Year's Eve in a cold, snowy city.

The girl has matches in her apron and pockets but cannot sell any.

She observes people enjoying the festive atmosphere and eating delicious food.

The girl is hungry and cold but continues to walk, barefoot and shivering.

Her mother urges her to sell matches to get food, despite the cold.

The girl's father threatens her if she doesn't sell all the matches.

Mary, the girl, wears her mother's slippers and sets out to sell matches.

Despite trying, Mary fails to sell any matches and is very hungry.

Mary loses one of her slippers and decides to walk barefoot.

She finds shelter between two houses to escape the biting cold.

Mary lights a match for warmth and sees an iron stove appear.

The matchstick's flame goes out, leaving Mary disappointed.

Mary lights another match and sees a beautiful, well-lit house with a family feasting.

A roasted goose from the feast seems to come towards Mary.

The flame goes out, and the vision of the goose vanishes.

Mary pleads to God for help and sees a falling star, fearing for her grandmother's life.

Mary lights another match and her grandmother appears, offering comfort.

Mary's grandmother takes her hand, and they fly towards heaven.

In the morning, people find Mary dead in the corner, with a smile on her face.