little match girl

There are rich people but the majority of people are poor working class or simply destitute like the match girl. “The Little Match Girl” presents a poignant critique of cultural attitudes to extreme poverty and inequality during the period of the industrial revolution. Using imagery and juxtaposition, Andersen contrasts the poverty of the little girl with the surrounding wealth. Bareheaded and barefoot, the girl slowly succumbs to hypothermia while wealthy people are safe indoors, ensconced in warmth and luxury of roast geese. She is nearly run down by fast-moving carriages that show no concern for her plight. The desperation of the poor is conveyed through the boy who steals her slipper, thinking one day that he’ll use it to cradle his child. The boy’s own desperate need leads him to take what he can when he can, with no regard for the girl’s safety. The tale starkly highlights the cost of an unequal society.