Johnny Got His Gun Analysis

Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo

In Dalton Trumbo’s classic American novel Johnny Got His Gun, the protagonist Joe Bonham is struck by an artillery shell in World War I. Joe was born in Shale City, Colorado and then later moved to Los Angeles. The book opens up with Joe thinking back to the time of his father’s death. The setting then changes to Joe in a hospital bed due to his devastating injuries; he quickly discovers that he is deaf and cannot see due to his bandages. The setting will continue to fluctuate between present-day reality and dreams/memories throughout the novel.

Joe later discovers that his arms and legs have been amputated. The story shifts into a memory of Kareen, his girlfriend from before the war. He also remembers his best friend Bill Harper, who was killed during the war. Later he finds that he has no face at all. He compares his condition to that of being inside the womb: “It was like a full grown man suddenly being stuffed back into his mother’s body… That was exactly like the womb…” (Trumbo, 107). He continues to contemplate suicide several times, reasoning that this is not really living. Coming to terms with his state, Joe realizes that he will not be able to differentiate night and day, or whether he is asleep or awake. This is interwoven with memories of his family, friends, and coworkers.

Although he has no limbs or face, Joe’s brain works perfectly fine, and he is trapped with his own thoughts. He accepts the fact that he is alone, Joe begins to reconsider the idea of war, and why he went to war in the first place. He states that he would stay out of the war if he could, if only for life. He warns that there is no such thing as a noble death, and that war is not worth whatever cause people thin...

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...s limited view. Additionally, due to lack of italics or quotation marks, it was sometimes hard to differentiate the book from Joe’s thoughts. Therefore, I feel that the story would be more powerful and effective in a personal first-person perspective.

Despite my mixed feelings about Johnny Got His Gun, I would recommend it to others. It wouldn’t be the first book I would recommend however; if the person was already considering reading this, I would suggest they do so. Trumbo’s novel does have its great moments. It is possible that I felt that the flashbacks were inadequate because the scenes where Joe is in the hospital are much more powerful in comparison. I can see why it is viewed as an American classic and it was a great book to read, but there are also many other books that can convey the messages found in Johnny Got His Gun just as or even more effectively.