Summary

Because the little girl was feeling so cold, she decided to light a match. She held her hands around it to warm her fingers. The light from the match caused her to imagine that she was sitting in front of a large stove. It was so real to her that she reached her arms forward to touch it, but it vanished immediately as the match went out.

Once again, the girl lit a match. This time, she saw through the wall of one of the houses. She saw a beautiful dinner scene, with the main course being a roast goose. The girl imagined the goose waddling over and looking at her through the wall. But once again, the match went out, and the scene disappeared. The third time she lit a match, she saw a Christmas tree surrounded by candles.

Analysis

Andersen uses...