Johnny Got His Gun Dalton Trumbo Analysis

In the passage from the novel Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo, Trumbo tells the story of a young boy named Joe and his father, who have a very close relationship. They each love to do the same things, but Joe thinks it is time to experience life on his own. Trumbo uses techniques such as Joe’s point of view, imagery, and unquoted dialogue to illustrate the strong relationship between Joe and his father.

First, Trumbo uses third person limited point of view to only share the main character’s thoughts throughout the story. Throughout the story Joe seems to realize he needs to tell his father that he is ready to be on his own by the way he “Looked across at his father and wondered just how he was going to tell him” (Trumbo), shows Joe’s

The fact that the story happens based on a traditional father and son camping trip shows their strong bond. The story does not point out the conversation between Joe and his father; for a little while his father didn’t say a thing. Then he said why sure go along Joe (Trumbo).The unknown dialogue gives a picture of the situation the father is facing while Joe is mentioning Bill Harper. This also shows how Joe is growing up and viewing this place differently and wanting to experience differently. The place that represents Joe’s childhood will covert him into a young man as he changes the tradition. As Joe finally reveals to his father that he wants to go fishing with someone else, his father offers his one true prized possession, his fishing rod by responding; His father said has Bill Harper got a rod? He told his father no Bill hasn’t a rod. Well said his father why don’t you take my rod and let Bill use yours? I don’t want to go fishing anyhow (Trumbo). The unmarked dialogue shows that the father is giving Joe the tools he needs to be a man. In other words the fishing rod is not so important to the father, but Joe is important to him. Therefore the father is allowing his son to go out and fish for the first time without him by giving him his fishing rod as a symbol of handing over Joe’s ability to be a man.

Trumbo tells this story to shows the importance of this moment to Joe. Through Joe’s thoughts making it third person limited. Trumbo’s eloquent language is clear of a fifteen year old boy who is not leaving the side of his father forever but to make his own