Dalton Trumbo's Johnny Got His Gun

War is a devastating event that can only result in painful consequences, created through the loss of family members, friends, or even parts of yourself. Authors have explored the many tragedies of war for years. One novel is Dalton Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun, which follows Joe Bonham, a naive soldier who is thrown into the midsts of a cataclysmic war that brings with it even greater losses for himself. Similarly, in the 1965 film, Shenandoah follows Charlie Anderson as him and his family attempt to avoid entering the American Civil War as it inches closer to their home. As the movie continues, Charlie is forced to get involved in the war and as a result suffer great consequences for it. Although Joe and Charlie experience consequences from

It especially had an effect on the families that lived in areas that were considered battlegrounds throughout the war. One family that we see is the Anderson family. Living in Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, patriarch widow Charlie Anderson is against slavery, but does not wish to betray his state and side with the Union. Due to his values, he chooses to keep his family out of the conflict unless provoked into it. After experiencing encounters with the Confederacy attempting to recruit his sons into the army and purchase his horse, his youngest son, Boy Anderson, is taken prisoner by the Union Army when he is wrongly accused of being a Rebel. This event is what ultimately sends Charlie over the edge and he decides to get involved in the war in order to get his son back. As they search for the boy, they come upon a train of captured Confederate soldiers which they eventually empty. Instead of finding the boy, they find his daughter’s newlywed husband, Sam, an event that happened solely because of chance. Meanwhile, James stays at the farm to care for his wife, Ann, and his newborn daughter, Martha. While working, James is approached by scavengers who murder him, go on to kill Ann, and ransack the Anderson home. After Charlie’s oldest son, Jacob, is shot by a surprised Confederate soldier the age of the boy, Charlie’s mental state begins to lose its bearings. He was aware of the consequences of war, unlike Joe, before he got involved. He knew the war could only bring pain and his predictions were brought to life with the death of two of his sons and a daughter-in-law. Just like when he lost his wife, Martha, Charlie became depressed and despised the war for taking more loved ones away from him. Unlike Joe, Charlie is able to use his remaining family to cope with the struggles of war. He is able to keep in touch with loved ones as well as the outside world, while