A Christmas Story! :)

Plot

The plot of the short story is a little different than the plot of the movie. Many of the same things happen in the movie that happen in the short story, but the movie adds more childhood experiences in the weeks leading up to Christmas. For example, the movie shows when the family car breaks down and Ralphie attempts to help his father fix it. Also, the movie includes Ralphie's family eating out at a chinese restaurant on Christmas. The short story ends after Ralphie's mother believes that an icicle falls and hits him in the eye. In addition to more details and experiences in the movie, the short story and movie have shared events in a different order. For example, the order in which people tell Ralphie "you'll shoot your eye out" is different in both works. In the movie, Ralphie hears this daunting statement from his mother first, his teacher second, and from Santa at the toystore last. In the short story Red Ryder Nails the Hammond Kid, Ralphie hears the same statement from his mother first, Santa second, and his teacher last. His teacher also gives him a B on the theme in the short story and a C+ in the movie.

Point of View

There are no differences in the point of view in the film and the short story. In both works, Ralphie is telling the story. The first person point of view remains constant. In addition to first person point of view, both works incorporate the literary device of a flashback. Ralphie looks back on his experiences leading up to one particular Christmas during his childhood that was very special to him. The short story and the movie resemble each other in point of view. In fact, many exact quotes and lines from the short story are taken and incorporated in the narration of the movie. The only difference is what actually leads his mind to travel back to the specific Christmas season when he was younger. In the short story, a sign that states "DISARM THE TOY INDUSTRY" causes Ralph to conjure up distant memories of the Christmas he received a Red Ryder BB gun, which relates back to the sign. In the movie, there is no real inspiration for the adult Ralph to look back on Christmas as a child. Nothing influences this and no action causes this.

Characterization

Like the point of view, the characterization in the short story and the film are relatively similar. Many of the characters are characterized in the movie and story through Ralphie's thoughts and narration as an adult as well as his interactions with them. Because most of the story and movie involve a flashback, the plot doesn't start at one definitive point in time. Because we are introduced to characters in the middle of things, characterization is different. I think that the short story characterizes the characters with great detail, but I think that the movie gives a viewer a better perspective on Ralphie, his family, and his experiences. Instead of just being described with words, the appearances and body language that the movie offers fully convey the personalities of the characters. All movies tend to emphasize action and drama, and I think the movie A Christmas Story does the same thing. Details and events from the short story are exaggerated in the film, creating a dramatic feeling which leads to humor for the viewers. For example, Ralphie's grade on his theme and the "you'll shoot your eye out" comment from his teacher are embellished in the movie much more than in the short story. (video above)

Setting

I think that the film adaption did a good job with sticking to the same settings that are in the short story. The only difference is that there are more settings in the movie than there are in the short story. Because Red Ryder Nails the Hammond Kid is fairly short, the movie adds more action to the plot to make it longer and to also create humor. COFEE SHOP For example, the chinese restaurant trip on the day of Christmas occurs just in the film adaptation. Also, the confrontations between Ralpie, his friends, and the two bullies on the way to and from school take place only in the movie. In the story and the film, most of the plot takes place at three main locations. The most important spots for the setting in both works are Ralphie's home, Ralphie's school, or the toystore in Ralphie's town. There may be multiple important settings in the story and the movie, but the setting never expands beyond Ralphie's hometown of Hammond, Indiana.

Theme

Both the story and the movie share the same theme. Even if the story and the film adaption have some small discrepancies and differences, the overall meaning of the story does not change. Like I stated in the previous blog regarding the short story, I think there are two key themes that are conveyed through these works. The two themes are unforgettable childhood memories and the joyous season of Christmas. Both of these create a happy and cheerful story for the reader or viewer to enjoy. They take me back to childhood memories from my own past and special Christmas celebrations spent with my family and my friends. Reading the short story as well as watching the movie make me count down the days until Christmas! I love the holidays, and these works revolving around the Christmas season make the season so much better :)