Johnny Got His Gun Literary Analysis

Johnny Got His Gun Dalton Trumbo’s novel, “Johnny Got His Gun” tells all about a father and son relationship that many people may envy for. Trumbo characterizes their relationship with a respectful tone, yet Trumbo also makes the love and trust the father and son share very apparent throughout the novel. Trumbo is able utilize literary devices such as third person point of view and a lack of formal punctuation, using syntax to help the reader have a better perspective on the relationship the father and son partake in. The use of third person point of view is able to show the conflicting feelings that both characters acquire. For example in the second paragraph the speaker said, “He sat in front of the fire and looked across at his father and wondered just how he was going to tell him. It was a very serious thing. Tomorrow for the first time in all their trips together he wanted to go

The author of the novel also purposely lacked formal punctuation using syntax, so the novel would have more of a simple and child like setting. Joe finally worked up the courage to tell his father that Bill Harper was coming up tomorrow. In the middle of the novel the speaker pressed on to say, “So he told him very casually. He said Bill Harper’s coming up tomorrow and I thought maybe I’d go out with him.” This explanation the speaker gave of Joe telling his father about breaking their tradition gave us a an ideal illustration of the lack of punctuation that is demonstrated throughout the entire novel. The author chose to not use any quotation marks, or much punctuation so he could create a better image for the reader of the casual and child like conversations amidst the father and son in the novel. Nevertheless the syntax used in the novel also spoke for the honest, loving, and respectful relationship that was shared among Joe and his