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Chapter 17
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Johnny Got His Gun, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
The Horrors of War
The Value of Life
Elites vs. Common People
Time and Memory
Summary
Analysis
Joe forces himself to stop thinking about Christmas and start tapping again. He taps carefully and methodically, not wanting to scare off the new day nurse. The nurse knows at once that he’s trying to tell her something. She tries adjusting his mask, breathing tube, and clothes, but he keeps shaking his head. At last, she stops, as if waiting for him to tell her what to do next.
Joe demonstrates extraordinary persistence over the course of the novel. Despite his many setbacks, he remains determined to make the best of his circumstances. His desire to keep living emphasizes the value of life and makes a case for why it is wrong for generals to sacrifice the lives of men like Joe in battle, even for a supposedly good cause. It also demonstrates why it is wrong for the hospital to ignore Joe’s attempts to communicate—and why the new day nurse is so special for making the extra effort to try to understand Joe.
Themes
Joe didn’t use to pray much, but he prays as hard as he can that the new day nurse will understand his tapping. At last, she touches his forehead. She taps the letter H, which makes Joe think that, while she understands the tapping is important, she doesn’t understand what it means yet. The nurse leaves, and Joe knows she’s going to go tell someone. He feels that he’s happier than he’s ever been in his life and that he’s accomplished something impossible.
Joe’s interaction with the nurse is like trying to communicate with someone who speaks a foreign language, perhaps reflecting how Joe felt while living abroad during World War I. This passage demonstrates how even with two willing participants it can be difficult to bridge the communicative gap between two humans.
Themes
The door to Joe’s room opens again, and based on the vibrations, it seems that a man comes in. The man (the Doctor) puts his finger on Joe’s forehead and taps in Morse Code: “What do you want?”
