Media Analysis

Movie: A Christmas Story (1983)

The movie A Christmas Story is a comedy about a child named Ralphie who, during the days leading up to Christmas, tries to convince Santa and his parents that a “Red Ryder Air Rifle” would be an amazing Christmas gift. Ralfie belongs to a middle-class family of four. His parents take on traditional gender roles in the movie: his father, a hard headed, working man of the household, and his mother, a compassionate woman who is concerned for her children’s well-being. Ralphie also has two close friends who he walks to and from school with, and often finds himself dodging the neighborhood bully with. Despite Ralphie’s daydreams and efforts to acquire his dream rifle as a gift, Ralphie gets rejected with the repetitive phrase, “You’ll shoot your eye out kid”. But at the very end of the movie, on Christmas day, Ralphie unwraps a gift in the shape of a long, thin rectangle. To his surprise, his father bought him the Red Ryder Air Rifle he had been wanting. 

Move 1: 

The complexity of Ralphie’s father as a character was an interesting thing to observe in the movie. On one hand, the father plays the role of a working man who comes home to his family in the evening, sits down and has the supper his wife prepared, and reads a newspaper. Ralphie’s father also uses curse words quite frequently, especially when something is broken in the house that he must fix. But on the other hand, he seems to value the spirit of Christmas more than anyone in the family. He proudly does his bidding during Christmas tree shopping, through his tone he adds to the enthusiasm of opening Christmas presents with his children, he buys Ralphie the gift he had been wanting, and he takes his family out for Christmas dinner. 

Move 2: 

There were a few significant scenes in the movie. These were the lengthy scenes where the Red Ryder Air Rifle came. In one scene, Ralphie began fantasizing about the Rifle. In his fantasy, he saved his terrified family from a robbery attempt. In another scene, Ralfie had written for a school homework assignment that he wanted this Rifle for Christmas. He fantasized that his teacher graded it with an “A ++..” for this, and that his classmates were chanting his name in admiration. And in the beginning of the movie, when Ralfie first laid eyes on the Red Ryder Air Rifle, the scene slowly zoomed in on the Rifle and Ralphie’s fascinated gaze. These scenes seemed to have been made to communicate Ralphie’s admiration of the Rifle, and his deep desire to get it. And these scenes hint at the possibility of Raphie finally getting the gift he wanted.

Move: 3 

In different scenes, Ralfie’s relationship with his father is shown. In some scenes, like when Ralfie and his father are opening presents and when his father is teaching him to fix a flat tire, we see a gentle-toned, and paternal side of the man. But in other scenes, like when Ralfie accidentally curses in front of his father, we see a colder, unsympathetic side of him. 

Move 4:

A father and son relationship is complex. 

A father and son relationship can consist of close and loving moments as well as moments of harsh discipline and/or insensitivity. 

This is because humans have complex emotions, therefore their relationships are complex too. 

Move 5: 

Why are the lengthy scenes pertaining to the Rifle important in the movie? The lengthy scenes about the desired Red Ryder Air Rifle help keep it as an important and glorified subject throughout the movie. They also help depict how desperately Ralphie wants this gift. 

How is Ralfie’s relationship with his mother and father different? Ralphie’s mother appears to be the more compassionate and warm character, but Ralphie doesn’t seem as close to her. It is shown that she meets Ralphie’s needs in terms of comforting him when he gets injured, helping him avoid getting into trouble with his father, and providing him with food to eat. While Ralphie accepts what his mother has to give, he seems to admire his father’s complexity and masculinity. And he seems to connect better with his father’s warm gestures when they are shown.