Johnny Got His Gun Themes
Some of the reasons for war are fighting for freedom, liberty, and democracy. Another reason is fighting for the honor of the country. Throughout the years, many writers and artists have created unique pieces that portray the reality of war. This is shown in one novel, Johnny Got His Gun written by Dalton Trumbo, which tells the story of a young soldier, Joe, who suffers physical and mental consequences from being in a war. Towards the end, he figures out that his physical and mental state post-war was caused from the way war was falsely portrayed. Similarly, the 1965 film Shenandoah, is a about the Anderson family, who tries to avoid involvement with war, but yet still suffers the consequences of war through the loss of family members. Although
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Although he came back alive, he had to suffer living with “no legs to kick, and no arms to thrash with” (Trumbo 88). He also loses his ability to see, hear, smell, and talk. His loss in communication caused him to feel helpless and isolated from the world. The isolation and his feeling of helplessness made him realize that he was not mentally prepared for the post traumatic disorder that war brought upon him. He also realizes that his freedom was taken away during the war because he had no choice in war. He states “You haven’t even the right to say yes or no or I’ll think it over. There are plenty of laws to protect guys’ money even in wartime but there’s nothing on the books that says a man’s life his own…” (Trumbo 110). The gruesome consequences of war was a huge shock to Joe because he was blinded as a result from propaganda.
Charlie from Shenandoah tried not to participate in the war, but when his youngest son, Boy, was captured by Yankee soldiers, he had no choice but to participate. Along the journey of rescuing Boy, he loses his son Jacob to a soldier by a surprise gunshot. At the same time Charlie was gone, his son, James and daughter-in-law, Ann, both got murdered from scavengers. Unlike Joe, Charlie knew from the beginning that war was full of “politicians who talk about the glory of it, and old men saying how war was a need” (Shenandoah). But he still suffers the loss caused from
Although he came back alive, he had to suffer living with “no legs to kick, and no arms to thrash with” (Trumbo 88). He also loses his ability to see, hear, smell, and talk. His loss in communication caused him to feel helpless and isolated from the world. The isolation and his feeling of helplessness made him realize that he was not mentally prepared for the post traumatic disorder that war brought upon him. He also realizes that his freedom was taken away during the war because he had no choice in war. He states “You haven’t even the right to say yes or no or I’ll think it over. There are plenty of laws to protect guys’ money even in wartime but there’s nothing on the books that says a man’s life his own…” (Trumbo 110). The gruesome consequences of war was a huge shock to Joe because he was blinded as a result from propaganda.
Charlie from Shenandoah tried not to participate in the war, but when his youngest son, Boy, was captured by Yankee soldiers, he had no choice but to participate. Along the journey of rescuing Boy, he loses his son Jacob to a soldier by a surprise gunshot. At the same time Charlie was gone, his son, James and daughter-in-law, Ann, both got murdered from scavengers. Unlike Joe, Charlie knew from the beginning that war was full of “politicians who talk about the glory of it, and old men saying how war was a need” (Shenandoah). But he still suffers the loss caused from