Book Report: Johnny Got His Gun Despite being published in 1938, with World War II about to break out, 'Johnny Got his Gun' -written by American novelist and screenwriter Dalton Trumbo- is considered a timeless example of anti-war novel. The whole plot develops inside the head of the main character, a young American soldier called Joe Bonham, who joined the Army during World War I as a volunteer. At the very begin inning of the novel Joe wakes up in a military hospital after being hit by a German shell. Soon, he realises the horrible truth about the seriousness of his injuries: his body is reduced to a mere slab of meat, as he has lost all his four limb and most of his face, leaving him deaf, blind and unable to speak. Trapped in his body, with no way to communicate with the rest of the World, he first attempts to commit suicide, which proves to be impossible as he is breathing through a tracheotomy tube, which he is unable to remove. …show more content…
Therefore, he figures out a way to start reckoning time again by counting the visits of the nurses during the day and by trying to tell the day from the night by feeling the temperature with his forehead, the only part of his face left untouched by the shell. He also fills his days with reminiscences of his old life, such as memories of his family, his girlfriend and his work. These memories are, however, not recalled in a chronological order, but they are, most of the time, confused and moulded