History Literature / TheLittleMatchGirl

Just a reminder: it's considered by its fans to be one of the saddest stories ever written (to the point its detractors have called it "Tragedy Porn"). The chances of it making you cry is somewhere above 90%. It has been adapted into different media such as a [[WesternAnimation/TheLittleMatchgirl2006 Disney short]] and a MadeForTVMovie. The full English translation can be found [[http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheLittleMatchGirl_e.html here]].

!!Adaptations:

There was a French silent film that can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/user/barrocum#p/u/41/WA7pdVMeazo here]]. The adaptation differs from the original, though. It has also been adapted as an audiobook with slideshow in ''Houkago No Kamishibaibu''. It's been set to music in the piece "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Match_Girl_Passion The Little Match Girl Passion]]" by American composer David Lang, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize. Animated short adaptations include ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Match Girl|1937}}'' from 1937 and ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Matchgirl|2006}}'' from Disney in 2006; both were nominated for Oscars for animated short film. Even Creator/{{Sanrio}} made their own adaptation of the story starring Franchise/HelloKitty as part of the 2000 [=OVA=] series ''Hello Kitty's Animation Theater'' which is extremely faithful to the story.

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"The Little Match Girl" (Danish: ''Den Lille Pige med Svovlstikkerne'', meaning "The Little Girl with the Matchsticks") is Creator/HansChristianAndersen's ShortStory about a dying child's hallucinations on New Year's Eve. First published in 1845, it has been adapted into different media such as a Creator/{{Disney}} short and a MadeForTVMovie. While technically a New Years' Eve story, it works at any time during the winter, especially Christmas Eve.

Just a reminder: it's considered by its fans to be one of the saddest stories ever written (to the point its detractors have called it "Tragedy Porn"). The chances of it making you cry is somewhere above 90%. The full English translation can be found [[http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheLittleMatchGirl_e.html here]].

** The Michael Sporn version which is part of ''WesternAnimation/HBOStorybookMusicals'' [[spoiler:where she had a DisneyDeath, being revived and it ends HappilyEverAfter.]]

On a cold New Year's Eve, a little girl is shivering in the streets. She has a bundle of matches to sell, but she hasn't sold any, and she knows her father will beat her if she returns home empty-handed. She looks into the window of the house she sits in front of, and imagines how nice it would be to celebrate with a family. Then huddling in a corner, she begins to strike her matches one by one, at first to derive a little warmth, and then to keep seeing the beautiful images of warm fires, roast goose and brightly-lit trees she sees in their flame. She looks up and sees a shooting star, and recalls that her beloved grandmother once told her that when a star falls, a person is going up to heaven. With the strike of another match, she sees her grandmother, and she desperately lights all of her matches at once to keep the vision from fading. In the brightness, she feels her grandmother take her in her arms and carry her away, leaving the cold behind forever.

On New Year's Day, passers-by see her frozen body huddled against the building, incongruously smiling. They are filled with pity at the sight of her with all her burned-out matches, but it doesn't matter because the little girl is now happy in heaven.

* SnowMeansDeath: Of course, here the snow ''caused'' death.

* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: The pure-hearted and innocent Little Match Girl dies and is sent to heaven. To quote from that page, "the narrative does not so much carry this trope as flamboyantly juggle it while singing the complete score to Handel's Messiah." Part of the reason most versions of the story are called "Tragedy Porn".

* FallenOnHardTimesJob: The girl's family is poor and she has to sell matches.
* GoOutWithASmile: The Little Match Girl dies with a smile because she sees her grandmother while wasting all her matches.

On a cold New Year's Eve, a little girl is shivering in the streets. She has a bundle of matches to sell, but she hasn't sold any, and she knows her father will beat her if she returns home empty-handed. She looks into the window of the house she sits in front of, and imagines how nice it would be to celebrate with a family. Then huddling in a corner, she begins to strike her matches one by one, at first to derive a little warmth, and then to keep seeing the beautiful images of warm fires, roast goose and brightly-lit trees she sees in their flame. She then looks up and sees a shooting star, and recalls that her beloved grandmother once told her that whenever a star streaks across the sky like that, a person goes to heaven. With the strike of another match, she sees her grandmother, and she desperately lights all of her matches at once to keep the vision from fading. On New Year's Day, passers-by see her frozen body huddled against the building, incongruously smiling. They are filled with pity at the sight of her with all her burned-out matches, but it doesn't matter because the little girl is now happy in heaven.

On a cold New Year's Eve, a little girl freezes barefoot outside. She's sold none of her matches and is consequently afraid to return home, expecting a beating from her father. She looks into the window of the house she sits in front of, and imagines how nice it would be to celebrate with a family. Then huddling in a corner, she begins to strike her matches one by one, at first to derive a little warmth, and then to keep seeing the beautiful images of warm fires, roast goose and Christmas trees their light shows. She looks up and sees a shooting star, and recalls that her grandmother once told her that whenever a star streaks across the sky like that, a person goes to heaven. With the strike of another match, she sees her beloved grandmother, and lights all of her matches at once to keep her there. The next morning, New Year's Day, passing people find her frozen body huddled against the building and surrounded by dead matches, smiling. They are filled with pity, but it doesn't matter because the little match girl is now happy in heaven.

Just a reminder; it's considered by its fans to be one of the saddest stories ever written (to the point its detractors have called it "Tragedy Porn"). The chances of it making you cry is somewhere above 90%. The full English translation can be found [[http://www.andersen.sdu.dk/vaerk/hersholt/TheLittleMatchGirl_e.html here]].

* AdultFear: The DeathOfAChild pushes a lot of Adult Fear buttons, not only the obvious fear of losing one's own child but the realization that it's possible for us to get so wrapped in BystanderSyndrome that a child might die through our inaction.

* BrattyHalfPint: That little boy who stole one of the girl's slippers.

* ChildrenAreCruel: After she loses one shoe (which was too big for her foot), a little boy steals the other one with a 'joke' about using it as a cradle for his own children someday.

* AbusiveParents: The original story says that her father will beat her and not let her stay at home if she returns without selling all of her matches. Her grandmother was the only person who ever loved her.

* AdaptationExplanationExtrication: Several adaptations of the already grim story (such as the Creator/{{Disney}} short) leave out the part about how the girl's [[AbusiveParents father will beat her up if she doesn't sell everything]]. This, however, means that there's no explanation for ''why'' the girl is so persistent on selling her matches. A few go with "She feels the need to make money for her family" or "She'd feel bad if she didn't make any money", however many just ignore the issue.

* BystanderSyndrome: If a few people had bought some matches, or noticed that the little girl was obviously not dressed for the cold, the story could have ended very differently.

* DeathOfAChild: Part of the reason it is considered such a tragic story -- the titular character freezes to death on New Years Eve.

** When ''Literature/{{Hogfather}}'' did a WholePlotReference to the story, she ends up being saved at the last minute by the local equivalent of Father Christmas... Or rather, [[TheGrimReaper Death]], who for reasons too complicated to go into here is [[SubbingForSanta standing in for him]] and takes great satisfaction in the fact this lets him RulesLawyer his way out of having to reap her.[[note]]If Death intervenes to save someone then [[BalancingDeathsBooks the balance of the universe is upset and Very Bad Things Happen]], but if the Hogfather does it then that's a [[ChristmasMiracle Hogswatch miracle]] and therefore doesn't count.]]

There was a French silent film that can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/user/barrocum#p/u/41/WA7pdVMeazo here]]. The adaptation differs from the original, though. It has also been adapted as an audiobook with slideshow in ''Houkago No Kamishibaibu''. It's been set to music in the piece "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Little_Match_Girl_Passion The Little Match Girl Passion]]" by American composer David Lang, which won the 2008 Pulitzer Prize. Animated short adaptations include ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Match Girl|1937}}'' from 1937 and ''WesternAnimation/{{The Little Matchgirl|2006}}'' from Disney in 2006; both were nominated for Oscars for animated short film.

** Robot Chicken had a version where her Grandmother in the match tells her that she has a plan. She sets her father on fire, gets her Grandmother's jewels, and retires to a beach in the Caribbean. Then it ends on an action film credit sequence.

* KarmaHoudini: The father, although we don't know much about him (meaning he might not be all ''that'' bad by Victorian standards) and since [[OutlivingOnesOffspring he's just lost his daughter]], he probably won't be feeling ''too'' great right now...

* DyingDream: The whole second half of the story is a series of hallucinations -- all good things -- which the little girl sees as she freezes to death.

* AdaptationalJerkass: Depending on the editions, the boy who stole one of her slippers is either portrayed as a Jerkass who did it [[ForTheEvulz for laughs]] or tried to explain his actions by saying that he intended to use it later as a cradle for when he'd get children of his own. [[FlatWhat We are just as confused as you as to how he'd use slippers as a cradle.]]

* BittersweetEnding: It's almost written as a ''happy'' ending from the girl's point of view, because she gets to go to {{Heaven}} and be with her grandmother again, and doesn't have to suffer anymore in [[TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth this sinful earth]]-- but this is entirely tempered by the realization that she dies a needless and preventable death due to poverty and exposure at the holiday season.

* DeathOfAChild: Part of the reason it is considered such a tragic story- the titular character freezes to death on New Years Eve.

%% * HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: An innocent young girl.

* AbusiveParents: The original story says that her father will beat her and not let her stay at home if she returns without selling all of her matches.