This is a beautiful quote, I totally agree with what it's saying. Death isn't the end of all things, it's a new stage of life, one where all the pain and suffering in life is removed. Life is amazing, but sometimes it beats us down and down, till we cannot go on anymore. Death means an end to the cruelty.
@@jackb1272 - You realize that you didn't really answer my question? I know that it's a common belief that people have a soul. But there's no valid evidence to support it. How does a soul perceive any stimuli? How does a soul store or recall memories? How does a soul exhibit our personality or anything that makes us who we are? It's an ancient belief, born out of ignorance of how our bodies work, fear of death, a desire to live on, a desire to see our deceased loved ones, etc. And there's no valid evidence to support it. What we consider to be ourselves is a product of our functioning brain. Once or brain no longer functions, or if its functioning is drastically changed by physical trauma, disease, etc., then "we" no longer exist. My grandfather lived to be 96, but he was gone long before that due to Alzheimer's disease. His personality, will, memories, etc. were gone because the disease drastically changed the functioning of his brain. There was no evidence of a persistent self that animated his body or otherwise existed. The same is true for other people with such diseases or physical trauma. And when an injury, disease, or birth defect takes away our eyesight, hearing, etc. there's no valid evidence of a soul that can perceive stimuli anyway. We are physical beings. We are living organisms. And there's no valid basis for concluding that we exist after we die. So, it's a good idea to try to make the most of our lives. Don't put off calling your loved ones (or visiting them after COVID-19 is dealt with). Take that trip. Learn that new language. Exercise and improve your diet. Volunteer at that charity. Live the only life that you know that you have.
To be fair, Andersen’s stories aren’t called “Fairy Tales” in their original Danish. In Danish, these short stories are known as “Eventyr”, from the Italian “Avventura” = “Adventures”. Andersen didn’t regard himself as a kiddies’ writer, and it’s ironic that his subtle, ironic, poetic, sophisticated short stories have ended up on children’s bookshelves. It really takes an adult’s insight and critical faculties to appreciate Andersen’s extraordinary talent in evoking a scene and touching our emotions. I defy even the most hard-boiled cynic to read “The Little Match Girl” without dissolving into uncontrollable tears. How does HCA do it?? Pure genius!
When I was a kid I got mad at my grandma for crying while reading me this story abd then not wanting to read it again. I think I missed the ooint back then. 😅
Oh my God! I cry my eyes out every f***ing time I watch the 2006 short film adaptation. But the fact that this stuff happens in the real world to children everywhere, my God! It just adds insult to injury 😭😭😭!
Literally my mom would break down in tears and hug me tight when I was little every Christmas when she'd read this to me. She loved to read to me....she lived a hard life too. And grew up in poverty as well was the most neglected and forgotten child so it hit her soooo hard! I never understood until I was older just why....but oh! She is so sweet for being so loving and empathetic. This is the only thing I've ever seen make my Mother cry...my mother is tough as nails. And THIS is what made her cry! hahah! It's horribly sad! My seven year old self was so confused...but DAMN THIS IS SAD!!!!!!
Your mom only cried ever about a story that reminded her of.....herself. THATS the only thing that brought her to tears in life? Plz say you’re exaggerating
@@coraldawn191 Sounds like trauma is the thing that's too much for her. Sometimes people are tough as nails as a survival tactic, but that doesn't mean trauma can't sometimes get to them, especially when that trauma is related to why they're so tough.
I think that it’s good for kids to have stories with unhappy ends. Because those kids will grow up to be adults that find a LMG and could end up saving those future children. It’s like how dystopian novels used to show what society could become if we don’t grow or change the way things work now.
It's not an unhappy end. It's sad but death is part of life. She ends up comforted by her fantasies and reunited with her grandma and her suffering was over.
I do think that Andersen's ending is designed to kick people into action with the death of the poor little girl, with her going to heaven being put in to sooth the most innocent and powerless. As a kid, it almost sounds like a sad but happy ending story, then when you grow up you see for what it is, the death of an innocent child caused by nobody helping. If you read the story as a kid and read that the girl was taken in by a good family and lived happily ever after, you would look at a poor girl in the street and hope somebody would take her in. But reading that no-one helped the girl in the story and she died as a result, makes you want to be the one to help. You are not hoping for the saviour to come, YOU have to be the saviour. Does that make sense?
I remember feeling it was so awful that no one cared enough to take her in for the night and share some of their food. Adults brushed past her all day and only took notice when it was too late. It did make me cry but I learned to have empathy for people. I didn’t know the word at the time. It was one of the stories that I talked about with my grandmother the most.
I think the ending is both sad and happy sad because her parents are likely to grieve their child for multiple reasons one because they have no one to help them out of poverty anymore and secondly because they probably did love her. And the reason it is happy should be obvious to anyone with a brain in their head because the child went to heaven there is a reason that Anderson wrote that kind of story like many people in his era he was a Christian and believed in heaven and hell and so while he also took inspiration from those paintings his friend sent him and from his mother's own experiences he also took inspiration from his faith.
I guess that's just human nature. Orally passed stories too have modifications based on the storyteller's choices. Hence so many variations of one same story can be found
Its such a bad change though since the whole point of the story is that she dies and no one does anything to stop it, just like in real life far too often...
I mean we also got the robot chicken version where she covers her father in his own alcohol before burning him to death after delivering a sick match pun.
I didn't know anything about "the little match girl" when I bought this book to read to my daughter. From beginning to end it was a tearjerker. It was painfully sad to read. Once was enough for me.
When I was a child, my mom would read this story to me every Christmas Eve. We'd sit together and cry afterwards. It became a rather depressing family tradition.
Honestly being able to cry together is an extremely important thing and while it may feel depressing, expressing emotions like sadness is really important for good psychical and mental health. :)
Charles Dickens: So, Mr. Poe, any sad stories to write for the holiday? Edgar Allan Poe: Not as of late. You? Charles Dickens: I'd just finished my story, "The Christmas Carol". It'd surely tug the heart strings of the rich and poor alike. Edgar Allan Poe: I bet. How about you, Mr. Andersen? Hans Christian Andersen:...Well... Charles Dickens: Edgar, what have you done?
I personally think this is a beautiful story, instead of saying "she froze to death" he made it a beautiful ending were her grandmother comes to pick her up and bring her to heaven
I wanna say this is my favorite story by Hans Christian Andersen. I actually own a huge leather bound book w/all his stories in it. I loved the realism & the story itself. It's so sad tho
That's a life time wish right there omg. Always wanted all his stories in a huge collection book 😍 It's my favorite story of H.C. Andersen's too. I'm general, his stories are so beautiful and realistic imo 💗
Me too. I love this story so much and I love Hans Christian Andersen’s stories. My dad is danish so he gave me a book of his stories and I’ve visited his grave a lot when my family visits Denmark
Lesson for the adults: Be charitable to the little ones, the most precious of souls. Lesson for the children: As long as there's at least one person who loves you, waiting on the other side, there is no reason to be afraid of death. At least that's what I get out of it.
@@ladycommentor2536 yes, the happy endings in stories and such caused me to be more depressed about my reality, thinking that everyone has a happy ending but me.
People have such a negative and fearful perspective about death. RELAX it’s a natural part of life for everyone. I agree with Hans Christian Anderson that it WAS a happy ending. He mixed in several WAKE UP/ cognitive dissonance aspects that can start a dialogue with kids about human rights, social norms, caste systems etc. Good show for blowing the lid off fairy tales!!🌺🥰🦋
The Little Match Girl isn't the only sad HCA story by a long shot. Nor is he the only one who wrote "fairy tales" with depressing endings. Check out Oscar Wilde's "The Happy Prince" for a good cry. Another heartbreaker is The Nightingale and the Rose.
I'm pretty sure the nightingale and the rose is an Oscar Wilde story, but I feel most of Andersen's stories are a bit fucked up. The ending to The Little Marmaid is depressing.
@@marosario07 I don't know about the rose, but the nightingale is Andersen's story. It's one of my favourites. I know Andersen's stories are depressing, but I think they always have a more impactful message than other fairytales. And let's face it, in reality there are hardly any happy endings. Though, I understand people not liking stories with sad endings
'The Nightingale and The Rose' is a short story by Oscar Wilde. I used to listen to the tape audio book of it a lot when I was younger, it made me cry every time until the tape 'got lost' one day.
I think the ending is show life doesn’t always end how we want it to, and that death doesn’t need to be something feared. For her it was an escape from something worse, and an escape from the harsh realities of society back then. I think the ending is beautiful and the impact wouldn’t of had been as great otherwise.
Me: *after watching the ending of CAOS and crying none stop for like 40 minutes* Why don't I watch a bit of Jon to cheer me up? Jon:if you're in need of a good cry than this is the episode for you Me: ...what the heaven, might as well add fuel to the fire.
@@studentdrake actually you are right it is an acronym for chilling adventures of Sabrina you are correct I should have looked that up before I wrote it
We have a theme park in The Netherlands that tells stories like the little mermaid, Cinderella etc. called 'Efteling'. A couple of years ago when we were 20+, we read it inside the park, and my sister began to cry spontaneously. It's such a sad story, and it only hit us when we visited all those years after we heard it first. It still brings tears to my eyes, and gave me a whole other perspective. Since then, I try to do as much volunteering as I can. So I did learn from it, but like you said, not as a child, but when I already was an adult.
I agree, yes it's sad that she froze to death, I agree with Jon that that's a terrible tragedy, but yes, I'm glad she got this ending. If she is to leave this world, I'm glad she is with her grandmother in Heaven. :)
@@AishaVonFossen - But that's a terrible thing to teach children. Children should be taught to try to make the most of their life, including helping other people. They shouldn't be taught that life doesn't really matter because everyone is going to get an afterlife that lasts forever.
@@loki2240 it wasn't a bout that. it was about . think of the less fortunate than you. You apparently haven't come across a lot of hardships yet. when all you got is your self and an invisible sky daddy to push you on. maybe you will see things in a different light. would you take away that happiness and comfort from a 90 year old woman that believed shes going to go to a better place?
@@PepperKatLancer - Your post is all over the place. You said that the story is about thinking about the less fortunate, you speculated that I haven't suffered hardships (with no basis whatsoever), you introduced an "invisible sky daddy," and you asked if I would take that belief away from a 90 year old woman (when it's a children's story and my post was about the message it sends to children). A better message (for children and everyone) would be helping the less fortunate. Not only would that encourage people to help the less fortunate, it would give the less fortunate more rational hope (as opposed to hoping for a better "life" after they die). By the way, this is my 4th year living with cancer, and I've been fortunate enough to receive a lot of help from a lot of other people. I don't look forward to any kind of existence after I die because I have no valid basis for concluding that I'll exist after I die. My focus is on trying to make the most of the life I know that I have with real people in the real world.
As a kid this was one of my absolute favorites, and I remember the ending being decently happy. As an adult and remembering the severe abuse I went through, it really hits home how much I desired literally anything to take me out of it, including death, even as a very young child.
I remember Disney making a short film on the little match girl. My family and I love fairy tales so we say it on netflix. My niece, my mom, my sister, their bfs, and I balled our eyes out. We weren't ready for a feel trip😭
That was supposed to be part of a third Fantasia movie that never got completed--hence, the classical soundtrack. (Borodin's string quartet, also used as the melody to "And This Is My Beloved" from the musical Kismet.)
This story is so sad, but I was always happy when her grandmother came for her. I never met my maternal grandmother , I only spoke to her over the phone. Her voice was always so sweet amd warm. I felt her embrace from 3000 miles away.
Last night my 6 year old daughter found a UA-cam Kids version of this story, watched it, and has been devastated since. She asked me to please watch it with her to help her work through the sadness with her and I've literally been crying about it since. Thank you for this video, analyzing it has really helped me process the story in a historical context and therefore be able to be there for my daughter, especially knowing that this is no happy ending to any non religious reader.
its funny when ever i hear this story i want desperately to help the poor girl but when i hear a version with a happy ending i it just feels wrong this story gives me so many conflicting emotions
My grandma read this to my sister and me as kids, and it did not hit me that she died until I was an adult. This was one of my favorite Christmas stories (that was when we read it) and when I finally figured out that she died, my heart shattered.
I read this as a little girl and it has always been my favorite. I thought the ending was really happy, she spends forever with her loved ones in a place without pain or hardship. I totally read that as happy ever after.
@Blaire Sovereign Yeah back then your trade was your life. Especially when every person could be that one sale you need to be able to put food on your table vs going hungry. Even today, certain professions will study certain traits or attributes about a person. My friend's dad sells glasses so he has a habit of just focusing on a person's eyes or corneas more than the average person. Some neurologists and physical therapists will just pay attention more to someone's gait (the way they walk). Chiropractors will observe peoples posture and body curvature/tilt. Doesn't mean all these people have fetishes.
Well, feet, shoes and foot trauma DO seem to be a theme in his stories. (Something I never noticed until I read the excellent--and still ongoing--Harry Potter fanfic "Muggle Fairy Tales Are Mad." Check it out on AO3; it's stalled right now but the author has promised to pick it up.) The Little Mermaid's human feet hurt as if she's walking on razor-sharp knives, the Girl who Trod on a Loaf commits her great (oh, PLEASE) sin by walking on a loaf of bread to spare her shoes, Karen of The Red Shoes commits HER greatest sin (REALLY, ANDERSEN?!) by being vain about her shoes (the HORROR!) and ends up punished for it by HAVING HER FEET CUT OFF...
This kind of story tears me up inside. There are so many children suffering every day from poverty and abuse all over the world. We need to make ways to help them have better lives. I'm going to do what I can to help as many as I am able to this year.
i loved this story when i was a child, and i still do. it taught me to be nice to people in need and to also apreciate what i had. it still brings me to tears to this very day.
She had no one caring for her anywhere. Her Grandmother taking her to Paradise with her IS the best way for the girl to go. She dies and gets to be happy in Heaven with a loved one.
Someone helping her would be unrealistic and fake, hero's don't just appear out of no where and while we like to hear stories of people finding them they aren't always there for people when they need them... Kids still die from neglect and abuse to this day and sure it may not happen in the way the story tells it but it does happen. Also the point of the story is to provoke a sense of sympathy for the child. No one saved her and that's important for people to consider... Someone else isn't necessarily going to help that person you see struggling and while it would be nice for people to have access to more support often people cant just like in the story. Its a sad story with an extremely important message that's important for people to understand.
@@Alice-si8uz ok. Good point and we’re in a world where people are on street corners hoping that someone takes notice and helps them. As so,some who works with kids, it really hits me hard with that story involves one and like the little match girl, they end up dying cuz no one would help them.
@@Alice-si8uz - Someone helping her would be unrealistic? In the story, she has a soul, spirit, or some kind of postmortem existence that lives with the spirit of her dead grandmother for the rest of eternity. 😂 The story may invoke sympathy. It may also encourage people to accept the status quo because "everything will be okay" after they die. In fact, that's been a common belief among Christians for millennia. And it's especially been popular among people who have lived really harsh lives. Someone to help her would provide a character that people could identify with and see themselves as agents of positive change.
I think Andersen never fully recovered from his depression caused by his difficult childhood, bullying, his own complexes about his looks and other things. 'Death is the answer to all suffering,' usually stems from depression.
I don't know why so many people are so into complaining about "cancel culture," especially like this. The story and Twitter both already exist right now, and Twitter hasn't "canceled" the story as far as I know. The story does suck, though. It sends the message that life doesn't really matter because we're going to get a wonderful existence after we die. Our life is the only life that we know that we have, and we should try to make the most of it (including helping other people).
In Hungary, a few years ago, Zséda (a female singer) wrote a song called Karácsony (Christmas). Someone added a video of The Little Match Girl to the song. The lyrics matched the video so perfectly that it was just plain cruel. I can't find this video anymore but the song still makes me cry.
This one always reminds me of Oscar Wilde's "The Happy Prince". Even though it was published 22 years before Wilde's death and three years before he even met the man who would eventually lead to his downfall, it has similar themes to LMG and is kind of prophetic. I would love it if you did a "Messed Up Origins" of "The Happy Prince" at some point in the future.
My parents and grandparents read this story to me several times, when I was a child. I saw it as a sad ending too. But they would explain to me, that in the 1800's it wasn't necessarily so - because she went to heaven. It also gave them a reason to talk to me about the darker aspects of life, which I'm grateful for today. Kids understand and can process more than we give them credit for. A lot of H.C. Andersens' stories dosen't have what we today would see as happy endings, but they always have a moral and teach kids (and adults) about life through fairytales. My grandmother would read me a new of his stories every week and they still are some of my favorites. I even named my little brother after one of his stories.
A brief touch on the story was in a movie that has become a favorite of mine. It was introduced to me by my husband. The Hogfather: There is an exceptional line in the story when an unusual character takes over the duties of the Father Christmas character and saves the little match girl. He’s admonished that she is meant to die. He’s told to give her a present instead of interfering. He says (paraphrasing) what better present is there than a future. Although I am predominantly a purist with fairytales and I favor seeing them nearest to their original form as possible, I can still enjoy some deviations. This scene was one of the many things I loved about the movie. The idea that someone did rescue the little match girl was sweet, but that it was “Death” in The Hogfather, was excellent!
The answer to your question is obvious. He is reminding you that you may be someone's last chance. If you don't bother to make a different ending for someone, they may not get one.
Hans was pouring his feelings out, and teaching. Little Mermaid: Hans couldn’t get a boy he liked, Btw I think the Match girl ending is happy or Hans said that. Because Match girl got to be with her grandma.
He told stories to the swedish princess and fell in love, but the love was only one sided so he died an old man, never had any relationships and virgin.
This story always has me crying at the end of it. No matter that I know what's going to be the outcome, my throat closes up , my eyes start tearing, and my voice shakes...all before a full blown out sob session. My kids always chose that one with a bit of a wicked smirk ... it's like I did something that day to warrant their revenge.
Man; I remember when our teacher read this to us back when we were little gremlins just starting school. I think it's one of the first times most of us were faced with concepts like death and the indifference of most of the world.
Haven't even started the video yet I'm already getting ready to cry 😢 this story gets me every time😢😢😭😭 Thanks for all the hard work you did this year Jon you rock 🙂🪨💯💯
I honestly like the story... Parents could use this opportunity to teach them about being appreciative of the things they have because there are other kids who don’t have a portion of what they do. 😊
That is how I took it as, and while it makes me cry 😭, it is the main Goal of Christians To go to heaven, so in a weird way it was happy. The Disney version shows how happy the little girl is when she sees her grandmother.
Its actually about being willing to help people who are struggling… plenty of people could have prevented her death by being willing to understand her situation and support her but cause of established social structures and her position as being in an impoverished family everyone just turned a blind eye and ignored it cause it was deemed to be normal. Its about being kind and supportive to others. The idea the you should "appreciate what you have" is absolute garbage in the context of this story as it does nothing to help either the character or the kinds of people who the story is representing who are in poverty like this. People who do have money and resources shouldn't be made to feel ashamed of it or "appreciate what you have" but rather be encouraged to be kind and supportive of others in a way that is sustainable for both those giving and receiving the support...
@@Alice-si8uz I was waiting for this comment. The story was a social commentary meant to make middle class and wealthy people (who were definitely in the minority compared to the abundant abject poverty of the day) of the Victorian era aware of the reality that most people faced. It was normal to turn a blind eye or to deem the poor and working class as inferior and deserving of their circumstances. This attitude is still around today but not to the extreme extent of that time. More well off people easily dehumanized the large section of the population living in poverty. If this story had a happy ending, it would be ineffective at changing people's views. It was the happiest ending possible while still adequately portraying the harsh realities of most in those days.
I remember watching an old animation about her including a song and that's probably what sparked my empathy as a child because I felt cold when she felt cold and was so pissed when they showed her sleeping eternally with a sweet smile on her face, I was just talking about her story just yesterday because the weather was cold, I always remember her whenever I feel cold and feel a moment of sadness for her suffering
I remember hearing this story as a child and it broke my heart. But it helped me learn to appreciate what I had, which wasn't much at that time. From the age of 8 to 13 I was poor, bullied, times without electricity or water, out grew my clothes/shoes, and went many nights and days without food. What got me the most was no one helped.... No teachers, no neighbors, no friends, and no family. And all of this started after my grandmother died and my mother checked out mentally from extreme grief of losing her mother. Those were the worse years. But during that time I heard this story and it helped me realize the things I could be thankful for despite my situation and helped put me on the path to strive for better.
I'm sure the ending worked well enough in a time that life for most people was short and miserable and the idea of a happy afterlife was something to look forward to.
I have a book with a collection of these stories that my grandmother got me as a child. I remember this story, it made me sad then and still does today. Though it helped me gain pessimism regarding the world and helped me to understand from an early age that not many people in this world truly cares about you when you are in a state of suffering. It helped me learn to be empathetic and care for people that I don't know.
When my mother read me this story as a kid, it was the first sad story I’d ever heard. I was only 5, and I didn’t even know anyone wrote sad stories at all. I remember being very upset that someone would make me cry with a story.
I think the point of this story is to teach children not rely on false hope’s while going the many hardships they will face in life. In other words , it’s telling you not to rely on the idealistic ways of thinking (passive) but rather rely on the realistic ways of thinking (aggressive)
@@SlapstickGenius23 ah okay that's interesting I'm not sure if it is. I watched a documentary on it and they claimed it was a completely original story. I suppose you can't trust everything and even something original has to be based of something 😊😊 I'll do more research on it
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Im from Denmark and grew up with H.C Andersen´s stories, and his has a wonderful way to descripe things. The story is sad, but the way he writes the girls visions makes it sound so beautiful. So in the end youre kind of happy for the little girl, even if she died, because she saw so much happiness when it happend. I have never read the story in english, but I would imagine that some of the way he uses word will be lost in translation
When i was around 3 grade or something i got a small illustrated book with 3-4 stories in it from school. There were different versions of that book with a variety of tales and i got the one that had this story in it. When i tell you i read this and was depressed for a couple of days. Idk how this story hit me so deep i cried
I remember this story from my childhood and I didn’t necessarily think it was happy or sad. But it touched my heart. It is written beautifully and makes you appreciate feelings of silence, calm and peace.
This is the only fairy tale that has ever spoken to me, it reminds me of my depression and loneliness I felt and as you came to the end I was crying and out of the sadness my little girl ran up to me and hugged me saying "it's ok mummy", I never thought I'd be where I am and that reading took me right back to that place where I wanted to be picked up and taken away.
Thank you so much Jon, for finally bringing this wonderful story to light. I love and hate LMG, but what probably strikes me most is how so many emotions can be brought out, on such a small story. Personally, I think HCA chose to let LMG die, to force reality forward. If she had been rescued as in a fairy tale, it would have been said "it was good that some did something, because then I do not have to take action". But by the fact that no one reacted in the story, the final judgment of human narrow-mindedness is shown, and "this has nothing to do with me". When no one takes responsibility, we lose our humanity. Only when we can see can we change the world and make it a better place.
I loved this story as a child, it had me in tears everytime. Ive always seen it as an equally happy and sad ending for 3 big reasons, looking back it was probably one of the most important stories because of them. If the children didnt bully her and steal her mothers slipper she probably wouldnt of lost the other slipper; the only motivation to make the girl suffer more for their entertainment. If an adult had insisted on buying some matches she wouldnt of had to walk aimlessly in the cold waiting to die, one person giving her some bread and a few vegetables for a couple matches regularly couldve changed the story completely. How was she able to go so long in the streets, bare skin in the ice and snow, without any person seeing she was hallucinating and freezing or how could people see her yet walk past. Why wasnt it until day light, when she hadnt moved for hours that someone realised she was dead. I remember thinking id make sure to ask if people are okay if theyre walking like that. never walk past bullying, stopping one incident may scare the bullies out of it theyd of been told that "one day someone will hit you back" stuff and they soon shrink when someone they dont know steps in against them. id never let others go without i can live of less to be sure those with none have some. Id always get help if something seemed off dont think twice about emergency calls if someone might be sick or hurt, id be sure to linger around if i think theres active danger to someone, slyly catching the potential victims eyeline to let them know they can run towards me. i guess it taught me to be aware of red flags when passing someone ill never ever see again, i never thought about it properly it could of had a pretty big impact on my personality development those qualities are what i actually like about myself
I used to watch the Disney short of the Little Match Girl a lot when I was a little kid. It came with one of the Little Mermaid DVDs and was curious. The short was like Fantasia where it was all music with animation and wow, that song is still stuck in my head to this day. And that ending, as a little kid that ending left me so shocked and sad, especially when accompanied by the music. I don't think I ever cried but I was close to. It looks like the short stayed pretty close to the original story, though the abusive dad and people seeing her dead body didn't show up.
Finally someone else crying I couldn't even listen to his description of the story without crying that's how sad this God damn story is 😭😭😭 I am such a bleeding heart I can't even watch stories like this without crying and bawling my eyes out
The ending is as happy as the girl could hope within all the reality and misery that led to her “ happy ending “..... as a kid about 6 growing up in a hard life the little match girl story helped me find a happy place within myself to escape the hell I was in for so many fn years of abuse is why that’s my all time favorite fairytale
"Death is an old friend... He's always their willing to alleviate all the pain and suffering in this world. He welcomed us with open arms."
This is a beautiful quote, I totally agree with what it's saying. Death isn't the end of all things, it's a new stage of life, one where all the pain and suffering in life is removed. Life is amazing, but sometimes it beats us down and down, till we cannot go on anymore. Death means an end to the cruelty.
@@jackb1272 - How can death be a new stage of life? How can you exist or experience anything, after your brain stops functioning?
@@loki2240 the soul/spirit goes on. Sure it leaves the physical body, but that doesn't necessarily mean life ends. It's some deep philosophical stuff
@@jackb1272 - You realize that you didn't really answer my question? I know that it's a common belief that people have a soul. But there's no valid evidence to support it. How does a soul perceive any stimuli? How does a soul store or recall memories? How does a soul exhibit our personality or anything that makes us who we are? It's an ancient belief, born out of ignorance of how our bodies work, fear of death, a desire to live on, a desire to see our deceased loved ones, etc. And there's no valid evidence to support it.
What we consider to be ourselves is a product of our functioning brain. Once or brain no longer functions, or if its functioning is drastically changed by physical trauma, disease, etc., then "we" no longer exist. My grandfather lived to be 96, but he was gone long before that due to Alzheimer's disease. His personality, will, memories, etc. were gone because the disease drastically changed the functioning of his brain. There was no evidence of a persistent self that animated his body or otherwise existed.
The same is true for other people with such diseases or physical trauma. And when an injury, disease, or birth defect takes away our eyesight, hearing, etc. there's no valid evidence of a soul that can perceive stimuli anyway. We are physical beings. We are living organisms. And there's no valid basis for concluding that we exist after we die. So, it's a good idea to try to make the most of our lives. Don't put off calling your loved ones (or visiting them after COVID-19 is dealt with). Take that trip. Learn that new language. Exercise and improve your diet. Volunteer at that charity. Live the only life that you know that you have.
@@loki2240 thank you for the trip down atheist lane. Way to bash someone who believes different than you & try to wrap it up with inspiration.
To be fair, Andersen’s stories aren’t called “Fairy Tales” in their original Danish. In Danish, these short stories are known as “Eventyr”, from the Italian “Avventura” = “Adventures”. Andersen didn’t regard himself as a kiddies’ writer, and it’s ironic that his subtle, ironic, poetic, sophisticated short stories have ended up on children’s bookshelves. It really takes an adult’s insight and critical faculties to appreciate Andersen’s extraordinary talent in evoking a scene and touching our emotions. I defy even the most hard-boiled cynic to read “The Little Match Girl” without dissolving into uncontrollable tears. How does HCA do it?? Pure genius!
But is “eventyr” not the Danish word for “fairytale”? I lived in Danmark by entire life and allways thought that
When I was a kid I got mad at my grandma for crying while reading me this story abd then not wanting to read it again. I think I missed the ooint back then. 😅
@@victorlolxd7347 They do, this is just cope.
I find HCA's "The Little Mermaid" extremely heartfelt---always made me cry. This one too. Thanks for the Danish translation.
Oh my God! I cry my eyes out every f***ing time I watch the 2006 short film adaptation. But the fact that this stuff happens in the real world to children everywhere, my God! It just adds insult to injury 😭😭😭!
Literally my mom would break down in tears and hug me tight when I was little every Christmas when she'd read this to me. She loved to read to me....she lived a hard life too. And grew up in poverty as well was the most neglected and forgotten child so it hit her soooo hard! I never understood until I was older just why....but oh! She is so sweet for being so loving and empathetic. This is the only thing I've ever seen make my Mother cry...my mother is tough as nails. And THIS is what made her cry! hahah! It's horribly sad! My seven year old self was so confused...but DAMN THIS IS SAD!!!!!!
My sister too. She tried to read it to me a few times but couldn’t.
Your mom only cried ever about a story that reminded her of.....herself. THATS the only thing that brought her to tears in life? Plz say you’re exaggerating
It sounds like you have a VERY special mom! 💖
Mi daughter has consoled me after requesting I read it to her.
@@coraldawn191 Sounds like trauma is the thing that's too much for her. Sometimes people are tough as nails as a survival tactic, but that doesn't mean trauma can't sometimes get to them, especially when that trauma is related to why they're so tough.
I think that it’s good for kids to have stories with unhappy ends. Because those kids will grow up to be adults that find a LMG and could end up saving those future children. It’s like how dystopian novels used to show what society could become if we don’t grow or change the way things work now.
Thats exactly how I see it as well.
It's not an unhappy end. It's sad but death is part of life. She ends up comforted by her fantasies and reunited with her grandma and her suffering was over.
Don’t knew about the original but the Disney version is bittersweet. The girl died, but at the sametime she gets to be with her grandma.
He's looking like a Disney villain more and more everyday.
I think he looks good like that. Working hard for us on New Years Eve. 🥰
I like the mature look
@@janellholmes3904 so would you if you had to read depressing stories about death 😂
Next would be the messed up origins of villains.
That's not true
I do think that Andersen's ending is designed to kick people into action with the death of the poor little girl, with her going to heaven being put in to sooth the most innocent and powerless. As a kid, it almost sounds like a sad but happy ending story, then when you grow up you see for what it is, the death of an innocent child caused by nobody helping. If you read the story as a kid and read that the girl was taken in by a good family and lived happily ever after, you would look at a poor girl in the street and hope somebody would take her in. But reading that no-one helped the girl in the story and she died as a result, makes you want to be the one to help. You are not hoping for the saviour to come, YOU have to be the saviour. Does that make sense?
Thank you so much for your input. I was having similar thoughts.
I remember feeling it was so awful that no one cared enough to take her in for the night and share some of their food. Adults brushed past her all day and only took notice when it was too late.
It did make me cry but I learned to have empathy for people. I didn’t know the word at the time. It was one of the stories that I talked about with my grandmother the most.
I believe so too, it's a reminder for us to help one another
Amen. I thought the same.
I think the ending is both sad and happy sad because her parents are likely to grieve their child for multiple reasons one because they have no one to help them out of poverty anymore and secondly because they probably did love her. And the reason it is happy should be obvious to anyone with a brain in their head because the child went to heaven there is a reason that Anderson wrote that kind of story like many people in his era he was a Christian and believed in heaven and hell and so while he also took inspiration from those paintings his friend sent him and from his mother's own experiences he also took inspiration from his faith.
I love that even back then people wrote fanfics to fix creator's stuff when they saw an ending they didn't like. XD"
I guess that's just human nature. Orally passed stories too have modifications based on the storyteller's choices. Hence so many variations of one same story can be found
Its such a bad change though since the whole point of the story is that she dies and no one does anything to stop it, just like in real life far too often...
So long as they're not harassing creators online it's alright with me.
I mean we also got the robot chicken version where she covers her father in his own alcohol before burning him to death after delivering a sick match pun.
@@Whitby_Abbeys_Ghost now I’m just imagining somone sending Anderson death threats through pigeon carriers
I didn't know anything about "the little match girl" when I bought this book to read to my daughter. From beginning to end it was a tearjerker. It was painfully sad to read. Once was enough for me.
Only a legend like Jon could put in the work to bring us this masterpiece on New Years eve
I'm ugly crying man
I posted the snow queen fairytale i just assumed he wasn't doing a new years video lol
Nice like rate
When I was a child, my mom would read this story to me every Christmas Eve. We'd sit together and cry afterwards. It became a rather depressing family tradition.
Honestly being able to cry together is an extremely important thing and while it may feel depressing, expressing emotions like sadness is really important for good psychical and mental health. :)
Sometimes crying together is better than therapy.
That really sucks. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's just kinda sad to hear that.
Charles Dickens: So, Mr. Poe, any sad stories to write for the holiday?
Edgar Allan Poe: Not as of late. You?
Charles Dickens: I'd just finished my story, "The Christmas Carol". It'd surely tug the heart strings of the rich and poor alike.
Edgar Allan Poe: I bet. How about you, Mr. Andersen?
Hans Christian Andersen:...Well...
Charles Dickens: Edgar, what have you done?
I could see that happening.
Jacob Grimm: (breaks down door)
Wilhelm Grimm: wassup bitches
@@gracewilbourn5033 What sad story do the Grimms have. They’re protagonists usually turn out okay in the end.
@@mysticloverfairy1 i didn't think of it from that angle. I just thought "hmm if all these writers were in a room together, what would happen?"
Yo, I can draw this.
I personally think this is a beautiful story, instead of saying "she froze to death" he made it a beautiful ending were her grandmother comes to pick her up and bring her to heaven
thats euphemism...or denial, in my opinion of course.
@@vickyvasilioy7437 I mean from the little girls perspective, who knows if she knows what death is
I was five years old and I understood death.
And she died with a beautiful smile on her face, leaving all the suffering that caused her to sleep in the street behind.
It's beautiful
you tell romanticised version
I wanna say this is my favorite story by Hans Christian Andersen. I actually own a huge leather bound book w/all his stories in it. I loved the realism & the story itself. It's so sad tho
That's a life time wish right there omg. Always wanted all his stories in a huge collection book 😍
It's my favorite story of H.C. Andersen's too. I'm general, his stories are so beautiful and realistic imo 💗
I used to have a big book of his stories but I lost it somewhere :
Me too. I love this story so much and I love Hans Christian Andersen’s stories. My dad is danish so he gave me a book of his stories and I’ve visited his grave a lot when my family visits Denmark
Cool ❤️
I have a big book of his stories too. Not all of them but a few popular ones. This was also one of my favorites.
Lesson for the adults: Be charitable to the little ones, the most precious of souls.
Lesson for the children: As long as there's at least one person who loves you, waiting on the other side, there is no reason to be afraid of death.
At least that's what I get out of it.
Ah yes, hypothermia hallucinations. Great content for children.
Better than the live she was set up for, early industrial poverty and such
Better show the reality of life than white lying to them that everything is all rainbows and sweet.
@@ladycommentor2536 yes, the happy endings in stories and such caused me to be more depressed about my reality, thinking that everyone has a happy ending but me.
It’s content to die for
People have such a negative and fearful perspective about death. RELAX it’s a natural part of life for everyone. I agree with Hans Christian Anderson that it WAS a happy ending. He mixed in several WAKE UP/ cognitive dissonance aspects that can start a dialogue with kids about human rights, social norms, caste systems etc. Good show for blowing the lid off fairy tales!!🌺🥰🦋
I would agree that it is a happy ending. The end of her suffering is the most mercy this poor girl has ever been granted.
The Little Match Girl isn't the only sad HCA story by a long shot. Nor is he the only one who wrote "fairy tales" with depressing endings. Check out Oscar Wilde's "The Happy Prince" for a good cry. Another heartbreaker is The Nightingale and the Rose.
I'm pretty sure the nightingale and the rose is an Oscar Wilde story, but I feel most of Andersen's stories are a bit fucked up. The ending to The Little Marmaid is depressing.
@@marosario07 I don't know about the rose, but the nightingale is Andersen's story. It's one of my favourites. I know Andersen's stories are depressing, but I think they always have a more impactful message than other fairytales. And let's face it, in reality there are hardly any happy endings. Though, I understand people not liking stories with sad endings
'The Nightingale and The Rose' is a short story by Oscar Wilde.
I used to listen to the tape audio book of it a lot when I was younger, it made me cry every time until the tape 'got lost' one day.
Hans christian anderson also made a story calld nattergalen (The Nightingale) but yea The knightingale and the rose is not anderson.
One of the more famous stories, the little mermaid, was tragic.
I think the ending is show life doesn’t always end how we want it to, and that death doesn’t need to be something feared. For her it was an escape from something worse, and an escape from the harsh realities of society back then. I think the ending is beautiful and the impact wouldn’t of had been as great otherwise.
Me: *after watching the ending of CAOS and crying none stop for like 40 minutes* Why don't I watch a bit of Jon to cheer me up?
Jon:if you're in need of a good cry than this is the episode for you
Me: ...what the heaven, might as well add fuel to the fire.
What is caos?
@@porrrnesianparrrrrrapio6232 it's not an acronym? Movie or TV show?
What's CAOS?
@@shanayazaveri2620 chilling adventures of sabrina i think
@@studentdrake actually you are right it is an acronym for chilling adventures of Sabrina you are correct I should have looked that up before I wrote it
We have a theme park in The Netherlands that tells stories like the little mermaid, Cinderella etc. called 'Efteling'. A couple of years ago when we were 20+, we read it inside the park, and my sister began to cry spontaneously. It's such a sad story, and it only hit us when we visited all those years after we heard it first. It still brings tears to my eyes, and gave me a whole other perspective. Since then, I try to do as much volunteering as I can. So I did learn from it, but like you said, not as a child, but when I already was an adult.
Yara, you did learn. 🍎 And that’s what counts.
That poor girl was so lucky to have the angel take her to heaven with her grandma.
Forever Christmas 🎄
I agree, yes it's sad that she froze to death, I agree with Jon that that's a terrible tragedy, but yes, I'm glad she got this ending. If she is to leave this world, I'm glad she is with her grandmother in Heaven. :)
@@AishaVonFossen - But that's a terrible thing to teach children. Children should be taught to try to make the most of their life, including helping other people. They shouldn't be taught that life doesn't really matter because everyone is going to get an afterlife that lasts forever.
@@loki2240 it wasn't a bout that. it was about . think of the less fortunate than you. You apparently haven't come across a lot of hardships yet. when all you got is your self and an invisible sky daddy to push you on. maybe you will see things in a different light. would you take away that happiness and comfort from a 90 year old woman that believed shes going to go to a better place?
@@PepperKatLancer - Your post is all over the place. You said that the story is about thinking about the less fortunate, you speculated that I haven't suffered hardships (with no basis whatsoever), you introduced an "invisible sky daddy," and you asked if I would take that belief away from a 90 year old woman (when it's a children's story and my post was about the message it sends to children).
A better message (for children and everyone) would be helping the less fortunate. Not only would that encourage people to help the less fortunate, it would give the less fortunate more rational hope (as opposed to hoping for a better "life" after they die).
By the way, this is my 4th year living with cancer, and I've been fortunate enough to receive a lot of help from a lot of other people. I don't look forward to any kind of existence after I die because I have no valid basis for concluding that I'll exist after I die. My focus is on trying to make the most of the life I know that I have with real people in the real world.
As a kid this was one of my absolute favorites, and I remember the ending being decently happy. As an adult and remembering the severe abuse I went through, it really hits home how much I desired literally anything to take me out of it, including death, even as a very young child.
I remember Disney making a short film on the little match girl. My family and I love fairy tales so we say it on netflix. My niece, my mom, my sister, their bfs, and I balled our eyes out. We weren't ready for a feel trip😭
That was supposed to be part of a third Fantasia movie that never got completed--hence, the classical soundtrack. (Borodin's string quartet, also used as the melody to "And This Is My Beloved" from the musical Kismet.)
This story is so sad, but I was always happy when her grandmother came for her. I never met my maternal grandmother , I only spoke to her over the phone. Her voice was always so sweet amd warm. I felt her embrace from 3000 miles away.
Jon: the ending was too sad.
Madara: Wake up to reality.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣❤🦊
Lol
Last night my 6 year old daughter found a UA-cam Kids version of this story, watched it, and has been devastated since. She asked me to please watch it with her to help her work through the sadness with her and I've literally been crying about it since. Thank you for this video, analyzing it has really helped me process the story in a historical context and therefore be able to be there for my daughter, especially knowing that this is no happy ending to any non religious reader.
This story always makes me cry. Along with "The Little Mermaid".
This is why I think that when the two inevitably meet in heaven, the two are BFFs
its funny when ever i hear this story i want desperately to help the poor girl but when i hear a version with a happy ending i it just feels wrong this story gives me so many conflicting emotions
I remember my 3rd grade teacher read this to us. Since then, I was never the same.
Try "Schindlers Liste" it's never disrupted by advertising in German television out of respect.
Try this read: the boy in the stripe pajamas. That is a tear jerker for ya.
@@B-MoreCity I have. Please don't get me started with that one 😅😭
My grandma read this to my sister and me as kids, and it did not hit me that she died until I was an adult. This was one of my favorite Christmas stories (that was when we read it) and when I finally figured out that she died, my heart shattered.
It seems like I’m only early when it’s the saddest episodes
I read this as a little girl and it has always been my favorite. I thought the ending was really happy, she spends forever with her loved ones in a place without pain or hardship. I totally read that as happy ever after.
"Gives special attention to their feet since his dad was a shoemaker."
*Yeah, sure buddy*
Yeah. The moment I heard that he "paid attention" to feet, it was like someone shouted "foot fetish" from the rooftops.
@Blaire Sovereign Yeah back then your trade was your life. Especially when every person could be that one sale you need to be able to put food on your table vs going hungry. Even today, certain professions will study certain traits or attributes about a person. My friend's dad sells glasses so he has a habit of just focusing on a person's eyes or corneas more than the average person. Some neurologists and physical therapists will just pay attention more to someone's gait (the way they walk). Chiropractors will observe peoples posture and body curvature/tilt. Doesn't mean all these people have fetishes.
@@Lawrence_Talbot yeah but it's funny
Well, feet, shoes and foot trauma DO seem to be a theme in his stories. (Something I never noticed until I read the excellent--and still ongoing--Harry Potter fanfic "Muggle Fairy Tales Are Mad." Check it out on AO3; it's stalled right now but the author has promised to pick it up.) The Little Mermaid's human feet hurt as if she's walking on razor-sharp knives, the Girl who Trod on a Loaf commits her great (oh, PLEASE) sin by walking on a loaf of bread to spare her shoes, Karen of The Red Shoes commits HER greatest sin (REALLY, ANDERSEN?!) by being vain about her shoes (the HORROR!) and ends up punished for it by HAVING HER FEET CUT OFF...
Don't be gross projecting your perversions.
Terry Pratchett had Death himself save the little match girl which to me was hilarious.
I like the sad ending though, it hits harder.
I'm not sure why I love this story so much, it's so sad but at the same time the imagery is so beautiful
This kind of story tears me up inside. There are so many children suffering every day from poverty and abuse all over the world. We need to make ways to help them have better lives. I'm going to do what I can to help as many as I am able to this year.
I actually read this book in 1st grade and I really liked it and the ending is really sad but the book is really good
i loved this story when i was a child, and i still do. it taught me to be nice to people in need and to also apreciate what i had. it still brings me to tears to this very day.
The girl dying is hardly a happy ending. Someone taking mercy on the girl and helping her? That would be happier
She had no one caring for her anywhere. Her Grandmother taking her to Paradise with her IS the best way for the girl to go. She dies and gets to be happy in Heaven with a loved one.
Someone helping her would be unrealistic and fake, hero's don't just appear out of no where and while we like to hear stories of people finding them they aren't always there for people when they need them... Kids still die from neglect and abuse to this day and sure it may not happen in the way the story tells it but it does happen.
Also the point of the story is to provoke a sense of sympathy for the child. No one saved her and that's important for people to consider... Someone else isn't necessarily going to help that person you see struggling and while it would be nice for people to have access to more support often people cant just like in the story.
Its a sad story with an extremely important message that's important for people to understand.
@@Alice-si8uz ok. Good point and we’re in a world where people are on street corners hoping that someone takes notice and helps them. As so,some who works with kids, it really hits me hard with that story involves one and like the little match girl, they end up dying cuz no one would help them.
@@Alice-si8uz - Someone helping her would be unrealistic? In the story, she has a soul, spirit, or some kind of postmortem existence that lives with the spirit of her dead grandmother for the rest of eternity. 😂
The story may invoke sympathy. It may also encourage people to accept the status quo because "everything will be okay" after they die. In fact, that's been a common belief among Christians for millennia. And it's especially been popular among people who have lived really harsh lives.
Someone to help her would provide a character that people could identify with and see themselves as agents of positive change.
Death is preferable to living.
I remember never being able to get finish listening to this story without crying my eyes out
I feel like nowadays Twitter would cancel this book lmao. Like I get it, Anderson basically said "Death is the answer to all your sufferings".
I think Andersen never fully recovered from his depression caused by his difficult childhood, bullying, his own complexes about his looks and other things. 'Death is the answer to all suffering,' usually stems from depression.
So Ronnie McNutt?
Her death was in no way her fault though... She didn't end her own life, she just stopped trying to prolong it...
I don't know why so many people are so into complaining about "cancel culture," especially like this. The story and Twitter both already exist right now, and Twitter hasn't "canceled" the story as far as I know.
The story does suck, though. It sends the message that life doesn't really matter because we're going to get a wonderful existence after we die. Our life is the only life that we know that we have, and we should try to make the most of it (including helping other people).
Well....that's pretty much the truth
In Hungary, a few years ago, Zséda (a female singer) wrote a song called Karácsony (Christmas). Someone added a video of The Little Match Girl to the song. The lyrics matched the video so perfectly that it was just plain cruel. I can't find this video anymore but the song still makes me cry.
This one always reminds me of Oscar Wilde's "The Happy Prince". Even though it was published 22 years before Wilde's death and three years before he even met the man who would eventually lead to his downfall, it has similar themes to LMG and is kind of prophetic. I would love it if you did a "Messed Up Origins" of "The Happy Prince" at some point in the future.
I don't see any resemblance
My parents and grandparents read this story to me several times, when I was a child. I saw it as a sad ending too. But they would explain to me, that in the 1800's it wasn't necessarily so - because she went to heaven. It also gave them a reason to talk to me about the darker aspects of life, which I'm grateful for today. Kids understand and can process more than we give them credit for. A lot of H.C. Andersens' stories dosen't have what we today would see as happy endings, but they always have a moral and teach kids (and adults) about life through fairytales. My grandmother would read me a new of his stories every week and they still are some of my favorites. I even named my little brother after one of his stories.
Gunther is looking like: "Man I don't have time for this" LOL!!!
He’s just to cute for words
A brief touch on the story was in a movie that has become a favorite of mine. It was introduced to me by my husband. The Hogfather: There is an exceptional line in the story when an unusual character takes over the duties of the Father Christmas character and saves the little match girl. He’s admonished that she is meant to die. He’s told to give her a present instead of interfering. He says (paraphrasing) what better present is there than a future. Although I am predominantly a purist with fairytales and I favor seeing them nearest to their original form as possible, I can still enjoy some deviations. This scene was one of the many things I loved about the movie. The idea that someone did rescue the little match girl was sweet, but that it was “Death” in The Hogfather, was excellent!
"What the actual fck,Anderson"
Orange Juice You think that's bad, just wait until you hear about "The Dog of Flanders", that '97 anime was depressing.
@@jenneacubero1036 I still watch that
He wrote the story in a depresing periode in Denmark so :(
The answer to your question is obvious. He is reminding you that you may be someone's last chance. If you don't bother to make a different ending for someone, they may not get one.
@@juliebaker6969 o w that hit me faster than Kaito's arrow
Hans was pouring his feelings out, and teaching. Little Mermaid: Hans couldn’t get a boy he liked,
Btw I think the Match girl ending is happy or Hans said that. Because Match girl got to be with her grandma.
He told stories to the swedish princess and fell in love, but the love was only one sided so he died an old man, never had any relationships and virgin.
that promise is as empty as christmas
@@moonstone6133 nah it's a joke I think
@@moonstone6133 Yes, he was.
@@moonstone6133 It's likely that he was either gay or too socially awkward to attract a woman.
I like the spin on the "Jon shot first twist" 😁, caught me off guard there.
Unfortunate story, every ending isn't a happy one :( .
This story always has me crying at the end of it. No matter that I know what's going to be the outcome, my throat closes up , my eyes start tearing, and my voice shakes...all before a full blown out sob session. My kids always chose that one with a bit of a wicked smirk ... it's like I did something that day to warrant their revenge.
Man; I remember when our teacher read this to us back when we were little gremlins just starting school. I think it's one of the first times most of us were faced with concepts like death and the indifference of most of the world.
I see it as a happy ending. She is finally at peace and with the only person that was ever nice to her
I actually love this story. It's a deep depiction of a sad life in the flesh but the Ending is Masterpiece and Great reward on the spiritual plane❤❤
Haven't even started the video yet I'm already getting ready to cry 😢 this story gets me every time😢😢😭😭
Thanks for all the hard work you did this year Jon you rock 🙂🪨💯💯
I honestly like the story... Parents could use this opportunity to teach them about being appreciative of the things they have because there are other kids who don’t have a portion of what they do. 😊
That is how I took it as, and while it makes me cry 😭, it is the main Goal of Christians To go to heaven, so in a weird way it was happy. The Disney version shows how happy the little girl is when she sees her grandmother.
Its actually about being willing to help people who are struggling… plenty of people could have prevented her death by being willing to understand her situation and support her but cause of established social structures and her position as being in an impoverished family everyone just turned a blind eye and ignored it cause it was deemed to be normal. Its about being kind and supportive to others. The idea the you should "appreciate what you have" is absolute garbage in the context of this story as it does nothing to help either the character or the kinds of people who the story is representing who are in poverty like this.
People who do have money and resources shouldn't be made to feel ashamed of it or "appreciate what you have" but rather be encouraged to be kind and supportive of others in a way that is sustainable for both those giving and receiving the support...
@@Alice-si8uz I was waiting for this comment. The story was a social commentary meant to make middle class and wealthy people (who were definitely in the minority compared to the abundant abject poverty of the day) of the Victorian era aware of the reality that most people faced. It was normal to turn a blind eye or to deem the poor and working class as inferior and deserving of their circumstances. This attitude is still around today but not to the extreme extent of that time. More well off people easily dehumanized the large section of the population living in poverty. If this story had a happy ending, it would be ineffective at changing people's views. It was the happiest ending possible while still adequately portraying the harsh realities of most in those days.
@@Alice-si8uz Its could be both, she’s not wrong and neither are you.
I remember watching an old animation about her including a song and that's probably what sparked my empathy as a child because I felt cold when she felt cold and was so pissed when they showed her sleeping eternally with a sweet smile on her face, I was just talking about her story just yesterday because the weather was cold, I always remember her whenever I feel cold and feel a moment of sadness for her suffering
The Little Match Girl has always been my favorite. I read it once a year and have a GOOD cry
I remember hearing this story as a child and it broke my heart. But it helped me learn to appreciate what I had, which wasn't much at that time. From the age of 8 to 13 I was poor, bullied, times without electricity or water, out grew my clothes/shoes, and went many nights and days without food. What got me the most was no one helped.... No teachers, no neighbors, no friends, and no family. And all of this started after my grandmother died and my mother checked out mentally from extreme grief of losing her mother. Those were the worse years. But during that time I heard this story and it helped me realize the things I could be thankful for despite my situation and helped put me on the path to strive for better.
Omg I watched the film of the “little match girl” it was so nice but how I know what it really means...
Didn't she die in that too? And isn't it told in music, with no words spoken?
@@eleanorlyndon865 yeah it’s just music and it has no words but you can still tell what there doing and thinking.
Pixar one?
I'm sure the ending worked well enough in a time that life for most people was short and miserable and the idea of a happy afterlife was something to look forward to.
I always love watching this while laying in my bed
Same lol
I have a book with a collection of these stories that my grandmother got me as a child. I remember this story, it made me sad then and still does today. Though it helped me gain pessimism regarding the world and helped me to understand from an early age that not many people in this world truly cares about you when you are in a state of suffering. It helped me learn to be empathetic and care for people that I don't know.
Hey, Jon! I got a new *messed-up origins* suggestion: *101 Dalmatians*
And i guess the woman killed all the dogs and turned their skins to a cloth?.
@@retrocysper3709 I haven't read the book so I DON'T KNOW!!!!
But 101 Dalmatians is a private domain novel though.
@@RedPandaGirl002 Well I know.
I'm just guessing the Original Non-Disney Ending.
When my mother read me this story as a kid, it was the first sad story I’d ever heard. I was only 5, and I didn’t even know anyone wrote sad stories at all. I remember being very upset that someone would make me cry with a story.
Dane here - obviously grew up with H.C.'s stories - love your vids and love that you post this vid today - happy new year everybody!
I think the point of this story is to teach children not rely on false hope’s while going the many hardships they will face in life. In other words , it’s telling you not to rely on the idealistic ways of thinking (passive) but rather rely on the realistic ways of thinking (aggressive)
I would love to know the true origin of Disney’s Brother Bear
Yeah!
I'm not sure if it has a origin as it is a Disney original.
@@mollygarrigan6763 but I think it’s based on Alaskan mythology.
@@SlapstickGenius23 ah okay that's interesting I'm not sure if it is. I watched a documentary on it and they claimed it was a completely original story. I suppose you can't trust everything and even something original has to be based of something 😊😊 I'll do more research on it
I love Robot Chicken's take on The Little Match Girl. It's pretty satisfying.
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Lmaoo
So funny. So true.
AHHH People are replying to my comment. Is this heaven? Oh wait, there ain’t no way I’m going up there. If I were dead, id be in hell lol
It’s been 2 year I’ve been watching your vids and it never gets boring it only gets better
I loved this story as a kid. And yes, the ending is sad, but I really felt that it was happy
Bittersweet is the word you're looking for
Didn’t Disney make a short of the same story. It was so sad and made be cry the first time I saw it
My nana got my sis that book for chirstmas lat year and I balled my eyes out.😭😭😭
Sad & beautiful story, never fails to bring tears to my eyes.
You know an episode is gonna be good when Jon puts “VERY” in the title 👌🏾
Im from Denmark and grew up with H.C Andersen´s stories, and his has a wonderful way to descripe things. The story is sad, but the way he writes the girls visions makes it sound so beautiful. So in the end youre kind of happy for the little girl, even if she died, because she saw so much happiness when it happend.
I have never read the story in english, but I would imagine that some of the way he uses word will be lost in translation
You're one of my favorite UA-camrs-and people in general!! 💖 Have a very Happy New Year!!!!!🥳✨💖✨🥳
This story never fails to make me cry - even just thinking about it. The ending is bittersweet and heart wrenching.
When i was around 3 grade or something i got a small illustrated book with 3-4 stories in it from school. There were different versions of that book with a variety of tales and i got the one that had this story in it. When i tell you i read this and was depressed for a couple of days. Idk how this story hit me so deep i cried
I remember this story from my childhood and I didn’t necessarily think it was happy or sad. But it touched my heart. It is written beautifully and makes you appreciate feelings of silence, calm and peace.
This story always made me sad as a kid💔 i would beg my mom to never read it again!
This is the only fairy tale that has ever spoken to me, it reminds me of my depression and loneliness I felt and as you came to the end I was crying and out of the sadness my little girl ran up to me and hugged me saying "it's ok mummy", I never thought I'd be where I am and that reading took me right back to that place where I wanted to be picked up and taken away.
Thank you so much Jon, for finally bringing this wonderful story to light. I love and hate LMG, but what probably strikes me most is how so many emotions can be brought out, on such a small story. Personally, I think HCA chose to let LMG die, to force reality forward. If she had been rescued as in a fairy tale, it would have been said "it was good that some did something, because then I do not have to take action". But by the fact that no one reacted in the story, the final judgment of human narrow-mindedness is shown, and "this has nothing to do with me". When no one takes responsibility, we lose our humanity. Only when we can see can we change the world and make it a better place.
I had a collection of story tapes as a kid and this one always stuck out to me, still makes me cry
The stories end is much happier than the beginning
This is one of my favorite stories. Sometimes a tragic story can help warm people’s hearts and gear then toward helping rather than sitting idle.
I remember reading this as a child I thought the ending was sad but somehow it was also peaceful.
Its really good to hear a story like this. It is for children, we don't lose our humanity because if this kind of stories.
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**click**
noice.
This story got me absolutely bawling. God, i'm so sad. Ah....Imma save this for whenever I need a good cry.
I loved this story as a child, it had me in tears everytime. Ive always seen it as an equally happy and sad ending for 3 big reasons, looking back it was probably one of the most important stories because of them.
If the children didnt bully her and steal her mothers slipper she probably wouldnt of lost the other slipper; the only motivation to make the girl suffer more for their entertainment.
If an adult had insisted on buying some matches she wouldnt of had to walk aimlessly in the cold waiting to die, one person giving her some bread and a few vegetables for a couple matches regularly couldve changed the story completely.
How was she able to go so long in the streets, bare skin in the ice and snow, without any person seeing she was hallucinating and freezing or how could people see her yet walk past.
Why wasnt it until day light, when she hadnt moved for hours that someone realised she was dead.
I remember thinking id make sure to ask if people are okay if theyre walking like that. never walk past bullying, stopping one incident may scare the bullies out of it theyd of been told that "one day someone will hit you back" stuff and they soon shrink when someone they dont know steps in against them. id never let others go without i can live of less to be sure those with none have some. Id always get help if something seemed off dont think twice about emergency calls if someone might be sick or hurt, id be sure to linger around if i think theres active danger to someone, slyly catching the potential victims eyeline to let them know they can run towards me.
i guess it taught me to be aware of red flags when passing someone ill never ever see again, i never thought about it properly it could of had a pretty big impact on my personality development those qualities are what i actually like about myself
That story always has me in tears but it made me happy for the girl because she was free from pain and she was with person she loved the most.
I'm giving this video a like for the LEGO Gingerbread House in the corner.
I used to watch the Disney short of the Little Match Girl a lot when I was a little kid. It came with one of the Little Mermaid DVDs and was curious. The short was like Fantasia where it was all music with animation and wow, that song is still stuck in my head to this day.
And that ending, as a little kid that ending left me so shocked and sad, especially when accompanied by the music. I don't think I ever cried but I was close to.
It looks like the short stayed pretty close to the original story, though the abusive dad and people seeing her dead body didn't show up.
I’ve seen “The Little Match Girl” from a Disney short on Netflix to sad in the end especially for Disney 😭😭
Finally someone else crying
I couldn't even listen to his description of the story without crying that's how sad this God damn story is 😭😭😭
I am such a bleeding heart I can't even watch stories like this without crying and bawling my eyes out
I didn't cry but I was sad 😔😣
I cried listening to his just explain it.
Now this is how you start a year
Jon bless you 😌
The ending is as happy as the girl could hope within all the reality and misery that led to her “ happy ending “..... as a kid about 6 growing up in a hard life the little match girl story helped me find a happy place within myself to escape the hell I was in for so many fn years of abuse is why that’s my all time favorite fairytale
I remember when I was little and my mom read this story to me. I would always cry for her. I’m crying even now.
UA-cam says this was posted 7 minutes ago and I’m 10 minutes in, I AM SPEED
im going to agree it is so depressing! As I kid it made me cry and as an adult now with my own kids, it made me sob...even while drawing!