Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales

Fairy Tales written by Hans Christian Andersen

Fiction The Stories of Hans Christian Andersen translated by Diana Crone Frank and Jeffery Frank, Duke University Press 2005 pages 282

The four stories read: The Princess and the Pea, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelisa, and The Little Match Girl.

Summary

The Little Match Girl was one of the shorter fairy tales Andersen wrote. It is about a little girl who tries to sell matches on a cold wintry night. She is barefoot, having lost her slippers while she was avoiding two careening carriages. Her feet are blue and her hands are frozen. No one has bought even one match from her. She dared not go home without pennies for her father, so she curled up on a doorstep and thought about all the wonderful past New Year’s eves. She looked at the small pile of matches and lit just one in hope to warm just her fingers. She scraped it along the wall and was transported to in front of a blazing stove. She was just stretching her hands out when it disappeared and she was left with a burned-out match. She lit another and saw a great feast before her, again it disappeared before she could react and move closer. She lit another and saw a vibrant green Christmas tree all decorated, it too vanished. She lit another and match and thought of her grandmother, who had died and was missed. She frantically called for her grandmother to stay with her. She lit an entire bundle in attempt for her grandmother to stay. Her grandmother wrapped the little girl in her arms and they soared through the sky. As the New Year rose with the sun, the small frozen body of the little girl was found. Everyone believed she tried to stay warm, not realizing that the girl was finally warm, wrapped in the loving arms of her grandmother.

Response

I didn’t like this story. I saw the reason for it, but didn’t like that the little girl was left alone in the streets, afraid to go home without anything to show. She was alone and not welcomed into any homes that had blessed heat and abundant food. Andersen’s mood of his stories is more depressing than most popular fairy tales. Many have characters that are lonely, don’t fit in, or ugly. I understand that they were portrayals of his life, but didn’t like the emotions that I was left with when finished reading them.

Potential Problems

His stories are more dark and dreary, with little kind laughter or happy endings. These wouldn’t be appropriate for younger ages or those who suffer from depression.

Recommendations

I would recommend these with caution. I think that the variations that have been told that twist the endings to make them happier would be more appropriate for younger ages.