Johnny Got His Gun
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"There's nothing noble about dying. Not even if you die for honor. Not even if you die the greatest hero the world ever saw. Not even if you're so great your name will never be forgotten and who's that great? The most important thing is your life, little guys. You're worth nothing dead except for speeches. Don't let them kid you any more. Pay no attention when they tap you on the shoulder and say come along we've got to fight for liberty, or whatever their word is. There's always a word." |
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A 1938 novel by Dalton Trumbo that became a rallying point for the political left during World War II. It follows a young man named Joe Bonham, who, after becoming grievously injured during World War I, is left deaf, blind, dumb, and without any limbs. Throughout the book, Joe reminisces about the life he lost, waxes philosophical on war and conscription, and tries desperately to communicate with the doctors keeping him alive.
The novel has been adapted to film.
- And I Must Scream
- Armies Are Evil: A nurse realizes that Joe is banging his head against the headstand in Morse Code. But she doesn't know Morse. So she brings in an officer to translate. When the officer realizes that Joe is asking to be either displayed as a monument to the horrors of war or permitted to die, all his response is missing is an Evil Laugh - probably because he doesn't want the nurse to interfere.
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What you ask is against regulations. |
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- Author Tract
- Based on a True Story: Trumbo claims he came up with the idea for Johnny Got His Gun after reading an article about the Prince of Wales's visit to a soldier who had lost all of his limbs and senses in a Canadian veterans' hospital.
- Trumbo stated this in a New York Times interview shortly after the Johnny Got His Gun movie came out and it's been repeated ad nauseam. But no one ever seems to have looked into it.
- The Blank
- Body Horror
- Character Filibuster: Joe in the last two chapters.
- Contemplate Our Navels: Well, that's all he can do.
- Cruel Twist Ending: The military officer's response to Joe's request to be put on display to show the public what happens to people like him who are unwillingly sent out to die: What you ask is against regulations. Who are you? Leads right into the Downer Ending.
- Downer Ending
- Explain, Explain, Oh Crap: One of the darkest variations of the trope. The worst of it when he realizes he has no face.
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Joe: She's cleaning my breathing tube. I thought when they took this stuff off my face, they'd take the tubes out too, but they didn't. I don't understand. Where's she going now? Oh yes I know. I still got my feeding tube. When am I going to be able to feed myself? When am I going to get well? Dinner's over, but it won't always be like this will it? Now wait. Think for a minute. There's something funny here. Something cold. Something wet. I thought my face was just wrapped up. When they unwrapped it, I could....no. Oh please I.... Now get ahold of yourself Joe. Don't lose your head. Your jaws. What happened to your jaws? They don't work! Maybe I haven't got any. Well take your tongue and rub it around inside your teeth, like you were chasing a raspberry seed. I haven't gotten any tongue!! I haven't gotten any teeth worth to feel. I haven't got anything here but a hole. How big is it? How high does it go? Now don't panic. Think. Inside of the hole is wet. The edges of the hol- dry. Wet, dry. Yes that's it. Now think about where it's dry. Feel!! Yes Yes, I'm feeling. Dry...edges of the hole go up? UP!! NO EYES!!! I haven't gotten any eyes, mouth, teeth, tongue or nose!!! I haven't got anything!!! My whole face is scooped out!!! Oh Jesus Christ, it's me and I'm alive!!! Oh no it can't be!!! Not me!! I can't live like this!!! I can't!! Please no, I can't!! Help me!! Somebody please help me!! Mother!!!? Where are you!? Help me Mother!! I'm having a nightmare and I can't wake up!!! If you don't wake me up, I'll be like this for years!! Years!! Years!!! |
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- Fate Worse Than Death: Let's say that you're blind and deaf, you can't move because you have no limbs, you can't talk aside from banging your head in Morse code, and you can't even tell if you're dreaming or not. Now imagine having to live this way for what seems to be several years. That's Joe's situation in a nutshell.
- Filk Song: Metallica's "One". They even purchased the rights for the movie to use it in the video.
- The Film of the Book: A film adaptation was made in 1971, written and directed by Trumbo.
- Hope Spot: When Joe finally manages to get his anti-draft message across to the people.
- Messianic Archetype: Joe sees himself as this as he continues to think about his unique condition.
- Nice Girl: The young nurse who cares for Joe. She tries her best, not just to take care of him, but treats him like a human being despite his condition. In an attempt to communicate with him, she traces the words "Merry Christmas" on his chest, which Joe nods understanding. This is what helps inspire him to try to communicate with the outside world in morse code. She even tries to carry out his final request, to die, only to be stopped by another officer.
- Sanity Slippage: Joe goes through it gradually when he realizes the extent of his condition. The fact that he has no eyes and is deaf puts him in near complete sensory deprivation. Proven when he laments about not knowing when he's awake or asleep and when what appears to be a memory happens to be a fantasy. Such as him and dead fellow soldiers playing blackjack with Jesus Christ. When he finds out he can communicate through Morse Code, his sanity slowly returns with hope he may get what he asks for. Only for him to surrender to the slippage when he realizes the military won't honor his requests of being either put on a sideshow or euthanized.
- Sarcastic Title: The book is fiercely anti-war, but the title comes from the American World War I rallying slogan 'Johnny get your gun'.
- Take Our Word for It: When we see Joe, all we see are the sheets and bandages covering his head and what's left of his body. Aside from a few shots of the nurses maintaining his air and feeding tube, we see no gore whatsoever. Most of the horror within the movie, is based on the horrified tone of Joe's inner monologue when he slowly realizes what has happened to him. Yet despite not seeing it, the descriptions and the emotional turmoil is just enough for any viewer to get sick as though they watched a violent gorefest.
- War Is Hell: One of the central messages of the novel and film.