Johnny Got His Gun Essay

In this passage from Dalton Trumbo’s novel Johnny Got His Gun, the reader learns about the relationship between the young man and his father. Trumbo tells the story in third person limited, letting the reader know the thoughts of Johnny, the main character. This makes it even easier to analyze the father-son relationship. The seemingly minute, yet numerous details recalled by the young man also give the reader insight into how important the time spent with his father was to the son. This passage from the novel Johnny Got His Gun is written in third person limited, with the narrator giving us access into the thoughts of only the main character, Johnny. This allows the reader to see the respect the young man has for his father and how dearly he treasures the times they spent together. However, after Johnny reminisces on his past trips with his father, he seems to begin the struggle that every boy must go through at some point in his life- leaving the nest. He seems hesitant to hurt his father by breaking their
Trumbo wrote the novel in third person limited so that while it is a narrative, the reader is also allowed access to the young man’s personal thoughts. This aspect of the story is very helpful in better analyzing the relationship between the father and his son. The author also used selection of detail, especially at the beginning of the passage, in order to give the reader a short history of the father and son’s long held tradition. These details show how special this time was for both the father and the son, as well as the significance in breaking it. Overall, the many literary techniques used by the author of Johnny Got His Gun help to better portray the relationship between the father and the son as well as the growth that happens in that relationship even in this short