(c) "The Little Match Girl' by Hans Andersen is a curious blend of fact and fantasy. Do you agree ?
Answers
Answer:
Answer: Anderson’s story entitled “The Little Match Girl” is a fine blend of fact and fantasy. The little hapless and helpless girl is representative of millions of such children all over the world. They have to put up with hunger, illness and misery. They struggle against the odds but their survival rate is quite low. They live in a world which remains a mute spectator to their miserable existence. There are homes and shelters for such unfortunate children yet a vast majority of such children are victims of society at large. The writer has blended this realism with fantasy in this story. The poor Match Girl tries to save herself from the cold wind by striking matches on the wall. As she strikes the first match, a strange light emanates from it. She finds herself sitting in front of a great iron stove with polished brass knobs. The fire burns so beautifully and gives out such a lovely warmth. But soon afterwards the flame goes out and the girl is back in the real cold world. In the second fantasy, the girl dreams of delicious roast goose. The goose hops down from the dish and waddles across the floor. In the third fantasy, the girl sees a Christmas tree laden with candles which turn into stars. In the next fantasy, the girl meets her grandmother who takes her in her arms and flies to the world of joy and glory.
These fantasies are, in fact, a kind of wish-fulfilment for the poor girl. She gets in her dream-world what she fails to get in her real life.
Explanation:
Answer:
Anderson's story entitled “The Little Match Girl” is a fine blend of fact and fantasy. The little hapless and helpless girl is representative of millions of such children all over the world. They have to put up with hunger, illness and misery