Johnny Got His Gun Book Analysis

In the year 2020 there was many events that people often took sides on and had different options if 2020 taught us anything, it taught us that there are many people who have very different opinions from you, but still value the same things that you do. In Johnny Got His Gun, a novel by Dalton Trumbo, you learn the thoughts of a soldier who lost all his limbs and facial features. Throughout the novel while he is in the hospital and his only company is his thoughts, he takes time to reflect on his values and shape his opinions on war. Before he got drafted to war he didn't think much about it and was excited and proud to be serving for his people.  Also based on a war, Shenandoah, a film that follows the story of a family who lives out in the country, during the civil war. Before Boy is captured and forced into war, he and his family believe that it is not their fight and won't get involved unless it becomes their fight. Although Joe and Boy had very different opinions about war, both of them still value similar things.

One of the things that boy values is treating others as a human. His family not only doesn't own any slaves, but he also doesn't think that it is the right thing to do. While eating dinner with his family one night, someone asks Charlie if he would help his friend, who is fighting to keep his slave. He answers and says that he would not help his friend. Boys actions also reflect this value, he is friends with a boy who is also a slave, he treats him like he is a normal friend and doesn't treat him like he is less becuase of the color of his skin. Although boy values this, he still decides that he is not fighting for the north in the war although he thinks his values through. 

Joe values treating others as humans. He realizes that the people who are being forced to fight by the masters of war are humans too and deserve to be treated like humans. Joe expresses this when he explains how he views war now,  “who would have one human being who wants only to live kill another human being who wants only to live.” (Trumbo 242) He knows that everyone who is in war and knows the truth is just a human being who wants to live but is being forced to kill others who have the same wishes as them. He values treating others like humans even in times of war. He wants people to realize that everyone who is involved in war is a human and deserves to be treated like one. Although he realized this after the war, he still went into war not thinking about his values beforehand. 

Boy also values family. After his mom died her wish was for them to continue to go to church on Sundays. In the movie he is seen playing with an object during church. He is bored and clearly does not want to be at church. Every Sunday he does not want to go to church and doesn't enjoy it but because one of his values is his family, he still goes to church because it was what his mom wanted for him. Boy’s dad has very strong opinions on many things. His opinions will ultimately influence boy’s own opinions. He is the youngest sibling and is still quite closer to his dad than his other siblings. He agrees with his dad and doesn't challenge his opinions. If his dad wanted them to fight in the war and thought that it was their war to fight, he most likely would go and fight for his opinion, but because he values his family and doesn't want to be disrespectful to his dad, he also agrees that it isn't his fight despite his strong opinions about slavery. 

Joe values family. His girlfriend, Kareen, is like family to him. When he is leaving to go to war he says, “Oh Kareen why do they have a war right now just when we find each other? Kareen, we've got more important things than war.” Although he is excited to go to war, he still wishes that there was no war so he doesn't have to leave Kareen. He values Kareen more than he does war when he states that their relationship is more important to him than war. Joe also consistently has flashbacks involving his Mom and Dad. He values them and misses them most. He stated that he looked up to his dad and that he misses his mom in many of his flashbacks. Joe says that he values Kareen more than the war but because of the propaganda of the war, Joe still is excited to go to war and doesn't take his last night with Kareen seriously even though he still values family and says he cares about her more than the war. 

Joe and boy have similar values despite their different decisions that they made. 

Joe and boy both value family and treating others . Their values lead them to make very different decisions Even if someone makes different decisions as you, you can still relate to them with similar values.