Johnny Got His Gun
Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun is a classic anti-war novel that delves into the psyche of Joe Bonham, a World War I soldier rendered limbless and faceless by battle injuries. As he lies confined in a hospital bed, his internal monologue shifts between memories of his past and a present reality marred by the grim consequences of war. This masterful work, later adapted into a film by Trumbo himself, challenges the rhetoric of patriotism and confronts the true cost of war.
Hardcover. First Edition, First Printing. Octavo, yellow cloth, stamped in black, top page edges stained red. New York: Lippincott, 1939. Jones & Newman, Horror: The 100 Best Novels (42). #10396.
Near fine condition in the original dust jacket that has only slight wear and a minor chip on the rear panel. The binding is tight, and there are no other notable flaws. Overall, a superb copy.
Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun is a classic anti-war novel that poignantly depicts the horrors of battle through its protagonist, Joe Bonham, a soldier gravely wounded in World War I. As he lies immobile in a hospital bed, face and limbs all blown off, Joe's consciousness becomes a tapestry of memories, regrets, and despair. The reader journeys with him from his small-town life in Shale City, Colorado—filled with personal vignettes like the death of his father, the memories of his mother's cooking, and the loss of his girlfriend Diane to his best friend Bill—to the fateful decision to enlist in a war far removed from his own realities.
The haunting contrast of Joe's pre-war life with his present condition makes a powerful statement about the human cost of war. As he grapples with the realization of his injuries, Joe's internal monologue is a cry against the emptiness of patriotic rhetoric that glorifies concepts like "liberty" and "democracy" at the expense of individual lives. The novel's title is a play on the phrase "Johnny get your gun," harkening back to a rallying call urging young American men to enlist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As the years drag on in his isolated state, Joe devises a means to communicate with the external world by sensing vibrations and tapping out Morse code with his head. Yet, even as he attempts to convey his wish to be paraded as a testament to war's brutality, he's met with a chilling bureaucratic response: his request is "against regulations."
Trumbo's novel isn't just a work of fiction; it's a profound commentary, drawing from real-life instances of soldiers who faced unthinkable injuries during WWI. Trumbo, who was famously blacklisted during the Hollywood Red Scare due to his political beliefs, adapted the book into a film in 1971, which he both wrote and directed. Johnny Got His Gun stands as a timeless reminder of the horrors of war and the profound disconnect between those who orchestrate wars and those who suffer their gruesome consequences.