Notes of the Little Match Girl

The Little Match Girl

Extract I

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 II

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 III

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 IV

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 V

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.

Notes of an Angel in Disguise

An Angel in Disguise

Extract I

Death touches the spring of our common humanity…….. tumble-down hut.

1.    Which woman is referred to here? How did she die?

  The mother of the three children John, Kate and Maggie, who was hated by everyone in their village. The  woman died of intoxication.

2.    What kind of relations did the woman have with others? Why do you think it was so?

She did not have good relations with others. She was hated by nearly everyone in his village.  The reason for this could be idleness,  immoral behavior and her habit of excessive drinking.

3.    What did the neighbours take to the old hut?

Some neighbours took grave clothes  for the woman’s decent burial, while some carried food for the starving children.

4.    What kind of living condition were the woman and her children subjected to?

The woman and her children were subjected to pathetic living conditions. Their hut was old and in a tumble down condition. The woman did not  even have decent clothes of her own to be used for her burial.

5.    What was the prospective future of the children after the death of their mother?

John , the oldest, a boy of twelve was adopted by farmer Jones. Kate, a girl between ten and eleven was taken in by Mrs Ellis. Maggie who had injured her spine two years ago and was crippled for life, was not wanted by anyone.

Extract II

Pitying glances were cast…… a bed ridden child?

1.    Who was glanced at with pity? Why?

Maggie was glanced at with pity because she looked innocent  but nobody wanted to take her, as she was crippled for life.

2.    Give the meaning of:

a)    Her wan and wasted form

Maggie, the youngest child of the dead woman looked pale and thin.

b)     Even knocked at them for entrance

Maggie’s innocence and sadness attracted everybody requesting  them to take her.

3.     Which incident made the child bed-ridden?

Two years ago Maggie had fallen from a window and had injured her spine, this made her bed-ridden.

4.    Which shelter was suggested by one of the neighbours for the bed-ridden child? Why?

It was suggested that Maggie should be taken to the poorhouse because for her it would be  a blessed change  where she would  be kept clean,  given healthy food and provided medical care.
5. What role does the child play in the life  Joe Thompson?

After the arrival of Maggie, Joe Thompson’s life completely changed. There was not a man in all the neighborhood who drank daily of a more precious wine of life than he. An angel, disguised as a sick, helpless, and miserable child, entered his home and life and filled all its dreary chambers with the sunshine of love.

What role does the child play in the life of Jane Thompson?

Life of Mr and Mrs Thomspson had been dark, cold and miserable because Mrs Thompson had nothing to love and care for, and so became sore, irritable, ill-tempered, and self-afflicting in the desolation of her woman’s nature. The sweetness of the sick child, looking ever to her in love, patience, and gratitude, was as honey to her soul, and she carried her in her heart as well as in her arms, a precious burden.

Extract III

It’s cruel thing to leave…….a vague terror had come into her thin white face.

1.Who are having a conversation in the above extract? What is the main topic of their conversation?

Joe Thompson and his  wife were discussing the options that would be best for Maggie since her mother had died.

2. Why was Maggie’s effort to raise herself painful?

It was because she was a crippled child who had injured her spine two years ago by falling from a window.

3. What thought terrified Maggie? What did she exclaim to Mr Thompson?

The thought of being left alone terrified Maggie. She cried out to him that she should  not be left there all alone.

5.    Why do you think the man stood with a puzzled air? What did he do when he went into the hovel?

He was puzzled because he did not know what to do. Neither did he want to leave Maggie alone, nor did he wish to send her to the poor house. He was thus confused.

When he went into the hovel, he supported Maggie and told her she would not be left  there alone. He wrapped her gently in clean bedclothes and took her home.

6.    What kind of man was Joe Thompson? How can you say so?

He was a rough and strong man from his looks. But unlike his external  appearance , he was a kind-hearted  and compassionate  man. It was he who decided to take Maggie home when everybody else in the village wanted her to be sent to a poorhouse. He liked children and loved to spend time with them. He was an intuitive man, who was aware of a woman’s nature in general and his wife’s  feelings in particular. Joe Thompson was aware of the fact that his wife would gradually accept  Maggie into their home as their daughter.

Extract IV

Mrs Thompson saw him approaching form the window……. Love was springing into life.

1.    Whom did Mrs Thompson see approaching? What precious burden was he carrying? Why is the burden precious?

She saw her husband Joe Thompson approaching. Maggie is the precious burden he was carrying. The moment Joe took her in arms he felt as if love had sprung into his life.

2.    What did Mrs Thompson ask her husband? How did Joe Thompson react to it?

Seeing the child in her husband’s arm, Mrs. Joe Thompson sharply questioned: “What have you there?”

Joe did not reply immediately but pleaded and cautioned his wife with his looks, that asked her to be gentle.  Joe spoke to angry wife only after comfortably placing Maggie on a bed.

3.    Describe Joe Thompson’s behavior since the day he brought the sick child home?

Joe formed a bond with the child as soon as he lifted her in his arms. Usually Joe Thompson kept rigidly silent in front of his wife but that day he displayed a firmly-set  countenance and a resolute pair of eyes.

He also answered his wife with real indignation for Maggie , something which he never did before.

4.    What reason did Joe Thompson give his wife for bringing the child home?

Joe told his wife that he had brought Maggie home because she could not have walked by herself to the poorhouse. He would take her there the next day speaking to the guardians of the poor house regarding it.

5.What was the reaction of Mrs Thompson when the sick child was brought in? How did her attitude  change later?

Mrs Thompson is hard-hearted at the beginning of the story. She scorns at her husband for bringing the invalid child home, but she is transformed  at the end. It appears as if the woman had turned bitter earlier because of being  childless, but as soon as the love of a child  touches her, she is transformed.

Extract V

 Mrs Thompson did not reply, but presently turned towards……. It was a good omen.

1.    What made Mrs Thompson move towards Maggie in the little chamber?

The lover and concern that Joe reflected for Maggie made his wife move towards Maggie in the little chamber.

He had told her  how Christ rebuked those who would not  receive children with happiness. He reminded her of Maggie’s dead mother and the loneliness, pain and sorrow, which Maggie was undergoing at the moment. This moistened his eyes and brought a change of heart in Mrs Thompson.

2.    Why did Joe consider light shining through the windows a good omen?

Thus, the light shining through the window was seen as a good omen because it suggested to Joe that his wife must be spending  time with the child. The light gave him hope and positivity. The light symbolized  to him the sunshine of love that would now fall upon their home.

3.    What did Joe see when he came back home from his shop?

Joe saw Maggie lying in a little raised position with the lamp shining full upon her face. He saw his wife sitting by  Maggie’s bed and talking to her.

4.    What did Joe gather from Maggie’s facial expression? To what extent, did it relieve him?

From Maggie’s expressions Joe gathered that Jane was sad and tender but not bitter toward the child.

This relieved him and he felt as if a weight had lifted from his heart.

5.    How did Joe behave on coming back home from his shop? What did he ask his wife?

On coming back Joe acted ignorant; as if he does not  know of the love fostering  between Maggie and his wife. He did not go immediately to the little chamber but to the kitchen. He did not ever refer to the child  in front  of his wife. Acting indifferent towards Maggie he asked, “ How soon will supper be ready?”