Structure
The short story “Auggie Wren’s Christmas Story” by Paul Auster has a non-linear plot structure. The events are not presented chronologically.
It is also a “story within a story” as the beginning becomes a background for the story Auggie tells Paul, which is the main focus of the narrative.
The story begins with a short introduction, creating anticipation: “I heard this story from Auggie Wren. Auggie doesn’t come off too well in it (…) Other than that, the whole business (…) is just as he told it to me” (ll. 1-4). This establishes the key theme of truth versus fiction. The fact that Auggie’s name is changed and the phrase “just as he told it to me” (ll. 3-4) foreshadow the uncertainty over whether Auggie’s story is true or not. The beginning also foreshadows Auggie’s deceiving behavior and theft of the camer...