Johnny Got His Gun

In a passage from Dalton Trumbo’s novel, Johnny Got His Gun, Trumbo characterize the close relationship between the young man and his father through 3rd person limited point-of-view. Through precise details Trumbo illustrate the importance of the isolated campsite and the tradition between father and son. Through symbolism Trumbo was able to convey Joe, the young man, and his father trusting, understanding, and considerate relationship. From the following passage from Johnny Got His Gun (1939) one of the literary devices that Trumbo uses is 3rd person limited point-of-view. Trumbo conveys the young son’s characteristic and the close, changing, and understanding relationship he shares with his father. As father and son sat across from each other in front of the fire, Joe wondered just how he was going to tell his father that he wanted to go fishing with Bill Harper instead. It shows that the young man cares about what his father says and “he wondered just how he would tell his father about it.” The relationship between Joe and his father was conveyed through precise details in the story, such as the isolated campsite “covered with pine trees and dotted with lakes”. This “nine thousand feet high” campsite was more than a vacation spot; it was a tradition - created by father and son, and bonded by time. It emphasized Joe relationship with his father as each summer, “ever since he was seven”, they came to this place. This perfectly conveys Joe and his father’s close relationship, as they preferred each other’s company than that of other people. Their many years together bonded their relationship, and it furthermore stresses the difficulty of the situation he knew “had to happen”, when Joe has to tell his father that he preferred to go fishing with Bill Harper instead. One of the symbols that was evident in the passage from Johnny Got His Gun was lending of the father’s “only extravagance” possession – the valuable fishing rod. The rod symbolizes the passage of