Joe's Aim

Eli Pardue
5/12/08
AP Lang Comp
LaMags

At the end of the book, Joe realizes that he is the ultimate representation of what happens in war. He realizes that all others who go to war in some way will be able to relate to his experience as a cripple, whether it be mentally of physically. Along these lines, Joe realizes that although he wishes to relate his message of the horrors of war, he will be unable to leave the hospital. Beyond that, he is unable to use an effective means of communication through which to transmit his message. He points the gun at those who unjustly send men to war. Men who, Joe knows, will become mangles like himself, or perhaps, for better or worse, dead. Democracy is supposedly the cause to defend through fighting, but the leaders are not presenting the dead men with democracy. They are presenting them with a death sentence. Joe points the gun at those in charge so that he can give his message, even though he is ultimately unable to

My Thoughts about Joe's Desires

Eli Pardue
5/9/08
AP Lang Comp
LaMags

I agree with Joe's desire to communicate with others. Communication is the only way that human beings can relate to one another. Without communication, every human being would live in absolute solitude, much like Joe does. Humans would likely not exist if communication was absent because there would be no way to express the need and desire to mate and create offspring. Communication is literally the root of the human condition because without it humans may have never exited at all. In addition, a creature as intelligent as a human, who was previously able to communicate with others would be driven insane through a lack of communication. The person would wallow in their own thoughts and previous experience. Much like water, a mind needs consistent motion and flow in order to stay fresh. Similarly, a stagnant mind will fester and grow rank just like stagnant water. The desire to stay sane is what drives Joe to communicate. I do not, however, agree with Joe's desire to become a showcase for the horrors of war. I think that this would only further his frustration with communication because the message would not be presented exactly how he would want it to be, and his condition would be repeatedly misinterpreted, yet he would have no way of correcting those around him.

Joe's Desires

Eli Pardue
5/7/08
AP Lang Comp
LaMags

Joe's primary concerns are escaping the confines of his mind and serving as an example of the horrors and consequences of war. Joe is trapped inside his mind because he does not have any way of communicating with those around him-the nurses and doctors that care for him. his attempts to communicate-through Morse code-
are misinterpreted by the nurses and doctors. First, the night nurse thinks that he is merely sexually frustrated, and attempts to relieve him of that burden of sexual frustration. Joe does not know what to make of this...he cannot stop her from misinterpreting his desires like this. He is also upset that people would have such a pity for him. They either can't see or can't understand that he still has a consciousness because all they see (and therefor understand) him as is a husk, a shell of what used to be a man, and so they can't understand that his desires are beyond the primal urges of unintelligence. The next attempt to communicate is understood as a seizure, and the doctors try to sedate him. Joe also wants to become a permanent image and example of the horrors of war. The problem comes back to his inability to communicate his desire.

Joe's Injuries

Eli Pardue
5/6/08
AP Lang Comp
LaMags

Joe's injuries are extensive. They are present as a part of Joe as a character because they are the reason he is so segregated from the world around him. Joe is injured by a bomb blast, one that takes with it his limbs and face. He also has a gaping hole in his side, presumably from a bullet or shrapnel. However, his injuries go beyond the physical. His injuries are highlighted by the fact that he cannot speak, see, hear, or smell. The fact that he is missing four of his 5 primaries senses is the reason that Joe is trapped inside his own mind. For that reason, the injuries are very important to Jonny Got His Gun. They also matter because they begin to form the person that Joe (in his new, half live state). Joe is defined by his injuries. They are the cause of his anxiety and his initial fear of dieing. They are the reason Joe has continued revelations and flashbacks characterized by the stream of consciousness format of the book. The injuries are important to the book because they are what the book is essentially founded on.