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Johnny Got His Gun By Dalton Trumbo Analysis

1350 Words6 Pages

Time presents many challenges in life, as evident in a passage from Dalton Trumbo’s, Johnny Got His Gun. Not only does Trumbo craft a compelling story that allows readers to immerse themselves in the seemingly unbreakable relationship between a father and his son, Joe, but he also lends substantial meaning to an emotional story about how a relationship can endure time’s tests. Throughout the story, Trumbo misses no mark when developing Joe’s relationship with his father as one that is adventurous, humble, and timeless. In order to effectively characterize their relationship as such, Dalton Trumbo intricately employs meaningful imagery, an effective third person point of view, and noteworthy symbolism. From the onset of his story, Trumbo …show more content…

Utilizing a third person point of view technique allows Trumbo to share the thoughts of Joe and his father through indirect dialogue and narration, which ultimately characterizes their relationship as purely humble. “…He wondered just how he should tell his father…So he told him very casually. He said Bill Harper’s coming up tomorrow… and I… think if you don’t mind I’ll get up early in the morning… and he and I will go fishing” (3). Trumbo uses a third person point of view here by using the pronoun “he” to represent Joe and his thoughts and feelings. When Joe’s feelings of guilt for leaving his father for Bill and confusion in how he should approach his father about the dilemma are exposed by a third person point of view, readers can see the internal conflict going on in Joe, who evidently cares about his father’s input in the matter at hand. When Joe comes to terms and decides to casually tell his father the truth about what is going on, we see an honest relationship because Joe does not embellish the fact of Bill Harper with any lies, rather he gets straight to the point, directly telling his father he wants to go fishing with Bill and asking politely for his approval. In addition, Joe’s father responds through the third person point of view of Trumbo, stating, “Then he said why sure go along Joe. And then a little later his father said has Bill Harper got a rod?” (4). This indirect quote by …show more content…

Utilizing the techniques of imagery, third person point of view, and symbolism, Trumbo is able to portray to readers that this relationship was built upon the foundations and values of adventure, humbleness, and timelessness. Furthermore, Joe’s and his father’s story shows us all that despite the passage of time, the relation that we have built will endure, no matter what. Time may end things fast, but the relationships and memories will always

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