Ralphie's Narration In A Christmas Story

In the film, A Christmas Story, directed by Bob Clarke, Ralph Parker tells the story of a noteworthy childhood Christmas. The story takes viewers through Ralphie’s trials and tribulations in the weeks leading up to the holiday. Throughout the film, he narrates over specific events in order to highlight its significance to that Christmas as well as its impact on his childhood and adulthood. An example of a major moment is when Ralphie is assigned a paragraph from his teacher over what he wants for Christmas. He uses the assignment to his advantage and hopes his teacher will aid him in the quest in convincing his parents about his one wish for Christmas, a popular bb gun from his favorite radio show. The narration over the scene of Ralphie writing the paragraph discusses the extensive, meticulousness he went through to form the perfect sentences and overall argument of the theme. This shows just how serious Ralphie was about receiving the Red Ryder B.B gun for Christmas. Although the paragraph turns out juvenile, it creates a tender-hearted moment with the audience who most likely experienced a similar situation.

Prior to the fight, Ralphie had repeatedly told the audience about his fear for Farkus. The narration creates the image of a small flame that slowly grew alongside his anger. Ralphie and his “fuse” blew and he then proceeded to attack Farkus. He proceeds to describe the feeling as blacking out during the whole ordeal because he was filled with anger. The narration again creates a moment where a viewer could possibly relate to a moment in their own life when it came to a bully and the anger and frustration they felt towards