How Does Dalton Trumbo Show Sacrifice

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“Sacrificing your happiness for the happiness of the other one you love, is by far, the truest type of love” said famous American poet and historian, Henry David Thoreau. Sacrifices are not easy tasks. It’s more than just giving up a seat for someone else or sharing food with another person. No, a sacrifice is giving up something valued for the sake of something else deemed as more important or worthy. It can take time to do, but is certainly worth the patience. When it comes to making sacrifices, families always seem to understand this concept quite well. In fact, in novels and short stories such as the one written by Dalton Trumbo, Johnny Got His Gun, reflects upon the sacrifice a father makes for his growing son. While it may be hard for …show more content…

Trumbo’s choice of writing the story in 3rd person provides insight to the characters thoughts, emotions, and actions. In the beginning, the young man’s thoughts are disturbed when he’s conflicted on telling his father about his plans. The young man, “knew it was something that had to happen sometime. Yet he also knew it was the end of something...he wondered just how he should tell his father about it.” The situation was serious to him because going fishing with his father was tradition.The young man was anxious due to the fact that he was planning on breaking it by going with someone else. After explaining to his father what his plans were, “he felt a small lump in his throat as he thought that even as he was deserting his father for Bill.” By Dalton’s usage of 3rd person point of view, the reader is able to understand the feelings that the young man goes through. The young man is troubled and burdened even before he asks his father if he may go fishing with someone else. Fishing with his father has always been a serious occasion, “they had been coming to this place ever since he was seven.” Daltons technique of 3rd person point of view leads the reader towards the young man’s …show more content…

While contemplating on how to tell his father his plans, he becomes more anxious but finally,“ he told him very casually.” However the young man doesn’t appear casual as he rambles to his father, “Bill Harper’s coming up tomorrow and i thought maybe i’d go out with him. Bill Harper doesn’t know very much about fishing... He and I will go fishing.” The father doesn’t say anything in the beginning but, “Then he said why not sure go along Joe.” His lack of response shows how much he cares for his son and doesn’t make it complicated for him. The father then goes on by saying Joe can use his rod and Bill Harper can use Joe’s rod. It was a valuable item and, “It was perhaps the only extravagance his father had had in his whole life.” Lending his son something very precious to him shows how much his relationship with his son is important to

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