RORY: So, do we go in [to her grandparents’ house] or do we just stand here re-enacting The Little Match Girl?
The Little Match Girl is a short story by Danish writer Hans Christian Anderson, first published in 1845, and frequently included in books of Anderson’s fairy tales. The story is about a poor young girl, a seller of match sticks, freezing in the street on New Year’s Eve. As she huddles against the wall of a house, she sees visions of food, warmth and joy in the the flames of the matches she lights for comfort.
Like the little match girl, Rory has been excluded from the wealth and luxury that exists in the house she stands near. It is intriguing that the story’s ending involves a reunion with the little girl’s grandmother, who loved her deeply – a hint of the affection from the older generation that is awaiting Rory inside the house.
The Annotated Gilmore Girls 