In the snowy streets of the city, a pitiable young girl is selling matches on New Years Eve in a desperate attempt to appease her father's violent anger. Alone with her matches and their accompanying visions, the girl passes on and is found later the next day with a smile playing across her face. The plot of The Little Match Girl, by Hans Christian Anderson, is meant to inspire a charity of tears for this young girl and her untimely death. However, not in all instances should such a death be so unfortunate. In the little match girl's case, " [...] death would not be the worst of all evils [...] [but] an alleviation to mortals who are worn out with sufferings" ( Metastasio). Thus, death can come as a relief to those whose toils and cares overcome the will to live, and when a better life can only be satisfied by fate.
             Firstly, for some, peace and comfort can only be obtained in death. The little match girl seeks such comfort in the streets, but obviously finds none in the bitter, bleak night. Once she is, "quite numb with cold" (1) she thinks: "Ah but a little match – that would be a comfort" (1). So, light here represents the comfort of heat. For example, when she does light the match, it blazes into a, "clear warm flame" (1) which transforms (with a little help from her imagination) into a, "warm friendly fire" (1). When the match goes out, "the stove vanishes" (1) and she is left again to suffer the icy night. So, peace and contentment cannot always be found in this life, but the one after death. Therefore, death need not be viewed as the ultimate evil, as for many it can be a release into a better life.
             Furthermore, an important aspect of childhood innocence is imagination. In the green of life, unrealistic thoughts and ideas are focused upon and allow children to live in their own personal paradise. The same applies to our little match gir...