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JOHNNY GOT H IS Gl"N b y
~alton
TrUIPbo
11
R onald D ouglass
J ohnny G ot H is G un i s a s trong a nti -\'·Tar n ovel o f i mmense
i mpact.
I t i s a n o utstanding H orki n ot b ecause i t p resents t he
r eader w i t:!:l a ny ne~oJ a rgument a gainst w ar, b ut r ather b ecause t hroughout i t r ernin.ds u s u nrelentingly o f w hat lv-e ' ve k no\-m a ll along~ t hat
w ar c ripples c.nd d estroys h uman l ife.
J ohnny G ot H is G un i s n ot a n e njoyable h ook t o r ead. I n f act,
i t i s a s ting1ng e xper1ence o f p ain a nd m ental a nguish.
D alton
T rumho r eckons t he r eader t o t emporarily a bandon h is p reconceptions
o f w ar a nd s hare t he e xperience o f a n i maginary i ndividual w ho h as
b een m utilated i n H orlc V!Tar I .. U tilizing a n u nconventional s tyle
o f w riting t hat r uns t ogether t houghts a nd e motions i n d isorderly
f ashion t o i nspire f ear a nd c onfusion, T rumbo r elates a h orrifying
e xperience a s f elt b y t he r ecipient. H is p rotagonist, J oe B onham,
i s p resented t o u s i n t he o pening c hapter o n t he o perating t able o f
a n a rmy h ospital, s hortly a fter h aving b een blo\-.7!1 a part b y a ,.Jar
m issile. F rom t his f ocal p oint, t he p lot p roceeds w ith t he l ife
o f t he " mundeCl s oldier, a nd p eriodic i nterjectio!ls o f h is p ast u p
t o t hat p oint.
Tr~bo
c enters h is e ntire s tory a round t his s ingle i ndividual,
ltoTho i s n~prE'snntati v e o f e .ll t hose s lain r md w ounded i n c ombat.
S urprisingly, t here a re v ery f ew g ruesome d escriptions o f w ar, y et
T rumbo's a bility t hrough s ensory l anguage t o p roject t he l ife o f a
s oli t o.ry \.qar v ictim u pon o urselves i s e xtremely e ffective. He r elates
t o t he r eader t he t houghts a nd e motions o f t he s oldier a s h e l ies
u pon t he o perating t able, f irst d iscovering t hat h e h as l ost h is
h earing ability~ t hen h is t houghts a s b oth h is a rms a nd l egs a re
a mputated. F inally, t he s oldier r eaches t he h orrid d iscovery t hat
h is f ace a nd n eck h ave b een h lmm a part, l eaving h im w ithout h is
e yes, n ose, m outh a nd t hroat, t o b e s ustained a live b y t ubes a nd
m achines.
I f t he r en.cer c an r emain y et u nmoved r..t t his p oint b y
t he e ffect o f w ar u pon t his i ndividual, h e i s c hallenged b y T rumbo
t hroughout t he r emainder o f t he b ook, a s t he y oung s oldier i s f orced
t o l ive o ut t he e ntirety o f h is l ife i n a. w orld o f d ark d esolation
e nd a nguish. Tt7e v ieN J oe B onham a s n othing h ut a m angled p iece o f
l iving f lesh, w ith a b rain t hat i s f ully c onscious o f h is s tate,
s eeking co~plete d eath t o e nd h is t orment a nd t hat o f t he a bsorbed
r eader.
T rumbo r eserves a m iddle s egment o f t he b ook, c hapter t en, t o
p ronounce t hrough h is c haracter a f ierce a nti-war s tatement. A t
t his p oint i n t he n ovel, v le a re m ade t o f eel t he f ull e xtent o f J oe
B onhcm's s tate a nd a re i ntrinsically a ligned t o h is a nti·war s entiITlent--·a.fter n lJ , " \vhat p erson "I!JOuld a rgue f or t he j ustice o f "tvar
a gainst o ne w ho ~ 1as a ctually D een t he r ecipient o f w ar's d estruction,
a nd p erhaps t his i s T rurnho's b est g rounds f or a iring h is v iews.
T he c onstant i ntervals o f J oe B onham's e arly l ife o nly s erve t o
reinforc~ T rumbo's t heme.
' J'hesc i nterjections f ocus u pon a s ensual
d escription o f t he p rotagonist's b oyhood i n C olorado, e mphasizing
t he r ichness o f l ife a s p erceived t hrough t he s enses--senses w hich
�12
J oe B onham n o l onger
.
..
posses~es.
T he c haracter's l ater l ife, j ust p redating h is e ntrance i nto
t he 'O.rar, p roviCI.es T rurnho l d t h m omentous C~.muni t ion a gainst w ar.
J oe B onham l eft b ehind h im a f atherless f amily c onsisting o f h is
m other a nd t\'70 s isters, a ll o f vJhom w ere d ependent u pon h im f inc:mcially a s 't,Tell a s m orally. T rumbo p ortrays h is c haracter a s o ne
w ho d rifted i n s ociety, h eing p ursued a nd p ulled b y t he e stablishment. Allo~;ec s eerningly l ittle f reedom b y s ociety, h e i s i ronically
f orced t o e nter a ':·Jar f or t he p reservation o f d emocracy .
T rumbn a dds f urther f uel t o h is a nti-war a rgument b y q uestioning
t he v alue o f l aying d own o ne's l ife f or t he establisP~ent's d efinition o f d emocracy a nd n ative l and!
" Did a nybody e ver c ome bC~.ck
f rom t he d ead a ny s ingle o ne o f t he m illions w ho g ot k illed d id
a ny o ne o f t hem e ver c cme b ack a nd s ay b y g od I 'm g lad I 'died t o
m ake t he \ 'Jr.rld s afe f nr d emocracy? D id t hey s ay I l ike d eath b etter
t han l osing l iberty? D id a ny o f t hem e ver s ay i t's g ood t o t hink
I g ot my g uts b lown o ut f or t he h onor o f my c cuntry? 11 He f urther
c harges t hat f amily t ies a re o f m ore v alue t o t he s oldiers o f w ar
t han a ny ideol~""'gy t heir c 0untry i s upholding~
" And a ll t he g uys
w ho d ied a ll t he f ive m illion o r s even m illion o r t en m illion w ho
w ent o ut a nc d ied t o m ake t he w 0rld s afe f or d emocracy t o m ake t he
w orld s afe f or w ords w ithout m eaning h ow d id t hey f eel a hout i t j ust
b efore t hey d ied? How d id t hey f eel a s t hey w atched t heir b lood
p ump o ut i nto t he m ud?. • . I f t he t hing t hey w ere f ighting f or \ 'las
i mportant e nough t o d ie f er t hen i t w as a lso i mportant e nough f or
t hem t o b e t hinking a bout i t i n t he l ast m inutes c f t heir l ives • • •
( Instead) t hey d ied c rying i n t heir m inds l ike l ittle b abies.
T hey
f org0t t he t hing t hey \ vere f ighting f or t he t hings t hey ' '!ere d ying
f 0r.
T hey t hought a bout t hings a. m an c an u nderstand.
T hey d ied
y earning f or t he f ace o f a f riend.
T hey d ied ' 1.-!himpering f or t he
v oice o f ;::~_ m other a f ather a w ife a c hild. . • "
T rumbo's f in.:d anti-~!ar d ig p ortrays a m erciless, c ruel s ociety
t hat s huts o ff t hose c rippled f rom w ar w ho s erve a s a r emembrance
o f v rhat "tomr CC~.n d o.
Sever-:1.1 y ears o f t otal i solation f rom s c;ciety
e nded a s J oe B onham r s n urse d iscovered t hat h e "\'las t apping w:. t h
h is h ead a m essage i n c ede. T he c oded r esponse r eturned t o h im
w as thC~t h is r equest t o le~ve t he h ospital r oom a nd c ommunicate i n
t his vJay , .ri t h s ociety w as ' against r egulations'. H is f renzied
e fforts a t f urther c ommunication w ere d iscontinued a s t hey d rugged h im.
.
A fter n early 2 50 p ages, t he h elplessness o f t he p rotagonist
i s i ndeed unbe~rable. T he o nly p ossible s atisfactory e nding--that
o f J oe B nnham 1 s d enth, i s r efused t o u s b y T rurobc.
I f t he b ook's
m essage i s s o u nbearnble, o r i f y ou d o n ot a gree w ith B onham's
a nti-"t<7ar s entiments, t hen '1.-!hy r ead i t? B ecause i ts m ind--expanding!
T his b ook w ill s erve t o c hallenge o r s trengthen y our p revious b eliefs.
T he i maginary p ain t ha.t "\•. e a re m ade t o f eel t hrough t he e xperience
r
o f t he p rotagonist m oves u s t o a ppreciate l ife v Tith a ll o f o ur s enses,
a nd t o p ray t hat s ome d ay t here m ay n ever b e n eed a gain f or w ar . • •
�
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Vol. 04, num. 3, Clio - 1977
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1977
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Title
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JOHNNY GOT HIS GUN by Dalton Trumbo
Creator
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Ronald Douglass