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eclecticreadswithash 's review for:
Johnny Got His Gun
by Dalton Trumbo
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
"If they talk about dying for principles that are bigger than life say mister you're a liar. Nothing is bigger than life. There's nothing noble in death. What's noble about lying in the ground and rotting? What's noble about never seeing the sunshine again? What's noble about having your arms and legs blown off? ... What's noble about being dead? Because when you're dead mister it's all over. It's the end."
Published in 1939, Johnny Got His Gun received immediate praise and gained further notoriety during the Vietnam War as a pivotal piece of anti-war literature. WWI in particular seems to engage a lot of anti-war rhetoric. While the reasons for the war are well documented and perhaps inevitable, in contrast to the Second World War's need to fight the rise of fascism, the incredible loss of life for "empire" thirty years earlier seems more tragic.
The tragedy here is emphasised even more by Trumbo's protagonist, Joe. An American soldier during the First World War, he is injured beyond recognition and left alone in a hospital with only his thoughts. Through memories, nightmares and Joe's waking moments, Trumbo invites the reader to consider how this is living, was it worth it, and how it could possibly be made better.
This was a very difficult read. I struggled at first to read more than a chapter at a time. But it was a worthy, powerful read. I sobbed more than once and had to take a lot of deep breaths. It really sucks you into Joe's world and it's a terrible one at that. I would encourage anyone interested to read it but be prepared to have your heart broken!
Published in 1939, Johnny Got His Gun received immediate praise and gained further notoriety during the Vietnam War as a pivotal piece of anti-war literature. WWI in particular seems to engage a lot of anti-war rhetoric. While the reasons for the war are well documented and perhaps inevitable, in contrast to the Second World War's need to fight the rise of fascism, the incredible loss of life for "empire" thirty years earlier seems more tragic.
The tragedy here is emphasised even more by Trumbo's protagonist, Joe. An American soldier during the First World War, he is injured beyond recognition and left alone in a hospital with only his thoughts. Through memories, nightmares and Joe's waking moments, Trumbo invites the reader to consider how this is living, was it worth it, and how it could possibly be made better.
This was a very difficult read. I struggled at first to read more than a chapter at a time. But it was a worthy, powerful read. I sobbed more than once and had to take a lot of deep breaths. It really sucks you into Joe's world and it's a terrible one at that. I would encourage anyone interested to read it but be prepared to have your heart broken!