People always say it's the little things that we take for granted. Whether it be
being able to talk with someone, or hold someone, or even just being able to tell what
time of day it is. In Dalton Trumbos' novel, "Johnny Got His Gun", one really begins to
understands what it would be like to have very simple things taken away from them.
Joe Bonhame, finds himself tragically injured from the war. Over time he slowly
begins to realize all of the things that he has lost. The first thing that he loses is his
hearing. "He was awake even though he couldn't hear a thing except a telephone that
wasn't ringing. He was mighty scared"(p9). At first Joe doesn't realize that he has lost
his hearing and he is under the impression that there is actually a phone ringing
somewhere, but, it's really only in his mind. But once he realizes that he actually can't
hear anything at all, he goes into a state of shock almost. "The shock caused his heart
to smash against his ribs. He grew prickly all over. His heart was pounding away in his
chest but he couldn't hear the pulsing in his ear"(p10). He then begins to think about all
the things that he will never again get to experience. At first he thinks about all the bad
things that he wont have to ever have to deal with hearing again. "He never wanted to
hear the biting little castanent sound of a machine gun or the high whistle of a .75
coming down fast or the slow thunder as it hit or the whine of an airplane
overhead..."(p10-11). But as he stops and really starts to think about what this all
means, he then realizes all the little things that he has taken for granted; the things that
he wants to hear again. "His mother was singing the kitchen. He could hear her singing
there and the sound of her voice was the sound of home"(p15). Sadly though, Joe
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