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.