Bass_ment
05-22-2006, 05:06 PM
I noticed that the discussion on books that takes place here is pretty light, often involving just lists, so I figured I would adapt a rule from R&M and do a "write-up" of sorts about one of my favourite books. No Spoilers, don't worry!
"Johnny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo was published in 1939 and is widely hailed as one of the finest works of literature in the support of pacifism ever written.
This novel is the story of Joe Bonham, a American Infantryman in the First World War. Joe is hit by an artillery shell and as a result has lost both his arms his legs and a large portion of his face. He cannot see, hear, smell, or speak, nor can he move from where he is interred at what he can only assume is a hospital. Where he is, he does not know.
The book deals with Joe's coming to terms with his situation and is often interspersed with flashbacks of his life before and during the war.
Trumbo tells of Joe's intense suffering from an intimate third person perspective which occasionally blurs into first person narrative. The writing itself almost seems to be connected to the state of Joe's mind. When Joe is clear headed the writing is logical structured, but when Joe becomes excited or intensely upset the writing becomes very different, with words often being repeated 4 or 5 times in a row in enourmous sentences. It provides the reader with such an intimate connection to the character that it is just captivating to read.
This book is terrifying and heartbreaking. It questions the justifications upon which war is based and through the protagonist gives voices to those maimed and killed in modern warfare. The book evolves into a compelling argument against war in its entirety which makes it relevant still today. It is a socio-political analysis as well as a rich narrative and Trumbo's unique writing style makes transitions seemless.
Dalton Trumbo himself was a lifelong advocate against war, however he himself took this book out of print during during the American involvement in World War 2 and the Korean War as he deemed it to be innapropriate to the times. His addendum to the introduction for "Johnny.." in 1970 shows clearly his strong view on the desensitizing effect of the war:
"Over breakfast coffee we read of over 40,000 American dead in Vietnam. Instead of vomiting, we reach for our toast.....do we scream in the night when it touches our dreams? No. We don't dream about it because we don't think about it; we don't think about it because we don't care about it. We are much more interested in law and order, so that American streets may be made safe while we transform those of Vietnam into flowing sewers of blood which we replenish each year by forcing our sons to choose between a prison cell here or a coffin there."
Trumbo also wrote and directed the 1971 movie version of this novel, which was famously used by Metallica in their video for the song "One" which was directly inspired by the film.
Sources: "Johnny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo published by Bantam Books in 1970. Originally published in 1939.
Anyways, hope you I peaked your interest in this excellent book. ITT please feel free to discuss this book or other similar works. Ask questions, whatever.
"Johnny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo was published in 1939 and is widely hailed as one of the finest works of literature in the support of pacifism ever written.
This novel is the story of Joe Bonham, a American Infantryman in the First World War. Joe is hit by an artillery shell and as a result has lost both his arms his legs and a large portion of his face. He cannot see, hear, smell, or speak, nor can he move from where he is interred at what he can only assume is a hospital. Where he is, he does not know.
The book deals with Joe's coming to terms with his situation and is often interspersed with flashbacks of his life before and during the war.
Trumbo tells of Joe's intense suffering from an intimate third person perspective which occasionally blurs into first person narrative. The writing itself almost seems to be connected to the state of Joe's mind. When Joe is clear headed the writing is logical structured, but when Joe becomes excited or intensely upset the writing becomes very different, with words often being repeated 4 or 5 times in a row in enourmous sentences. It provides the reader with such an intimate connection to the character that it is just captivating to read.
This book is terrifying and heartbreaking. It questions the justifications upon which war is based and through the protagonist gives voices to those maimed and killed in modern warfare. The book evolves into a compelling argument against war in its entirety which makes it relevant still today. It is a socio-political analysis as well as a rich narrative and Trumbo's unique writing style makes transitions seemless.
Dalton Trumbo himself was a lifelong advocate against war, however he himself took this book out of print during during the American involvement in World War 2 and the Korean War as he deemed it to be innapropriate to the times. His addendum to the introduction for "Johnny.." in 1970 shows clearly his strong view on the desensitizing effect of the war:
"Over breakfast coffee we read of over 40,000 American dead in Vietnam. Instead of vomiting, we reach for our toast.....do we scream in the night when it touches our dreams? No. We don't dream about it because we don't think about it; we don't think about it because we don't care about it. We are much more interested in law and order, so that American streets may be made safe while we transform those of Vietnam into flowing sewers of blood which we replenish each year by forcing our sons to choose between a prison cell here or a coffin there."
Trumbo also wrote and directed the 1971 movie version of this novel, which was famously used by Metallica in their video for the song "One" which was directly inspired by the film.
Sources: "Johnny Got His Gun" by Dalton Trumbo published by Bantam Books in 1970. Originally published in 1939.
Anyways, hope you I peaked your interest in this excellent book. ITT please feel free to discuss this book or other similar works. Ask questions, whatever.