Red Ryder Nails the Hammond Kid

Point of View
"Red Ryder Nails the Hammond Kid" is written in first person point of view. The main character Ralph, or "Ralphie" as mentioned in his kid form of the story takes a look back at a significant Christmas as a child. Ralph tells the main plot of the story as a flashback. This structure is rather interesting however because in describing his previous memories his narrating is not at all childish. For example he says, "It was not an easy choice. It was the age-old conflict between the Classic and the Sybaritic, and that is never easily resolved". No child of elementary school age would speak this way of choosing a Christmas gift for their mother. This overall technique over emphasis how he truly felt about certain issues in his childhood. If the narrator would have used childish words, he would have not gotten his true passion for this certain Christmas across to the reader. (And as a side note, I do not even know what the word Sybaritic means, let alone a grade school child, or maybe this is just a passing of the times.)
Plot
The plot of "Red Ryder Nails the Hammond Kid" centers around a sign the main character notices in the opening scene of the story stating to "Disarm the Toy Industry". This ultimately leads him to flashback to a childhood Christmas where he hopes to receive a Red Ryder BB gun. Much of the plot is written in a quick pace. Although the diction is of adult language, it still reflects the mind of a child through sections of short, simple sentences. For example, Ralphie says he wants '"a Red Ryder BB gun!"' Yet, he quickly retracts by saying "'I was just kidding. Even though Flick is getting one.'" In contrast, there are many parts of the plot that are told with a tone of wisdom and age. For example, we "kids plodded to school through forty-five-mile-an-hour gales, tilting forward like tine furred radiation ornaments, moving stiffly over the barren, clattering ground". This reflects those stories often told by grandparents, like the old 'ten miles to school, uphill both ways in rain, sleet or snow'. Overall, the plot incorporates several types of diction and structural aspects that add to the story as a whole.
Setting
There are two setting to "Red Ryder Nails the Hammond Kid". Before the flashback, the narrator is sitting in an H&H during Christmas time in Manhattan. However, he soon turns his story to atleast twenty years before, in the small town of Hammond, Indiana. In the flashback, it is also Christmas time, except during the Great Depression. It seems as if one thing reflected in the setting is that Christmas spirit never dies. Although many people were struggling at this time, people still journeyed to the shops so their children could visit Santa, and Ralphie and his family still had a Christmas tree, and exchanged gifts. Overall, the setting plays an important role because without it being Christmas in both settings, the story would be somewhat irrelevant, and the flashback would have never occurred.
Characterization
The narrator uses indirect characterization to describe the character's personality and actions. This allows for the flashback to be effective. Because the point of view of the story is first person, it is logical that the narrator is essentially telling his own story using indirect characterization. The story mainly focuses on Ralphie, but there are a few minor, unimportant characters such as his Mom, Dad, Teacher, and Santa, The only role these people have in the story is to help move the plot along buy consistently telling Ralphie that he will shoot his eye out with a BB gun. Besides the narrator, the only other important character is the old lady sitting next to him at H&H. it is because of his questioning about "disarming the toy industry" that sends her into an outrage. The overall effect of this outrage sends the narrator into his flashback which is ultimately where the core of the plot is located.
Theme
The theme of "Red Ryder Nails the Hammond Kid" focuses on the idea that some things never change, especially for children. The narrator opens up the plot by reading the sign "Disarm the Toy Industry". This is ironic to him because he was accustomed to the dangers of BB guns as toys when he was a child. It is also ironic that he is not against disarming the toy industry because he was a victim to the dangers of giving kids these toys. However, the ending to the story presents the idea that Red Ryder BB guns still exist, through the "number of kids [he] see[s] with broken glasses". The way he touches on this subject suggests that he is still a 'friend' or Red Ryder, and still accepts the forms of childhood toys. This ultimately reflects that some things will never change.