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Johnny Got His Gun Essay

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Personal investment exposed through Johnny Got His Gun and Shenandoah As a human, being personally invested in what you do is high on the importance scale. Writers have analyzed the theme of personal investment in literature and movies. A book that explores this theme is a World War I story, Johnny Got His Gun, by Dalton Trumbo. It takes in consideration the realizations of a young soldier, Joe, on what he truly believes is worth fighting for. Similarly, Shenandoah, a 1965 American Civil War film, follows the lives of the Anderson family, who are not involved in the war yet the war is coming right at them. Most significant to the family, the dad in the movie, Charlie Anderson, has strong beliefs when it comes to this war and what his part in …show more content…

Charlie Anderson also knew his personal investment in war and what he was willing to sacrifice for. Right away in the beginning of the movie Charlie is talking about the civil war. He says, “Are they on our land? Then it doesn’t concern us.” This clearly showed that Charlie believes in being personally invested because he says that unless it revolves around his family, it doesn't concern them. For awhile in the movie Charlie continues to keep the war out of his list of priorities because he has no part in it and doesn’t have any relation to slaves. Charlies actions toward the war change once his son, Boy, gets forced to be a soldier. As soon as that happens, Charlie immediately becomes personally invested in the war. That’s when it comes clear that having a family in danger is something worth fighting for to Charlie. Charlie is okay with going out in the war if it to save his son, but if Boy didn’t get caught up in trouble Charlie wouldn’t have had any connection in the war and wouldn’t be apart of it. The effects this war has on the Anderson family get stronger. More of Charlie's children start to die and his private property gets invaded. At this point, Charlie is definitely personally invested because it concerns his most important things in

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