Johnny Got His Gun/YMMV


  • Anvilicious: Did you know that the draft is morally heinous, especially because it forces average Joes to kill people they have no real personal qualms against? Of course, Some Anvils Need to Be Dropped.
  • Heartwarming Moments: Yes, even in this book, there's the part when the nurse manages to communicate to Joe by tracing words on his chest. The words? Merry Christmas. That whole chapter is a Heartwarming Moment, in fact.
  • I Am Not Shazam: The protagonist's name isn't Johnny, it's Joe. The title of the book comes from a patriotic song sung during the war.
  • Misaimed Fandom: It's not as much anti-war as it is anti-draft. Although it is plenty of both.
  • Undermined by Reality: Trumbull ceased print of this book because the Soviet Union entered WW2. The levels of hypocrisy reached with this move can't be stated enough: Trumbull only had problems with drafting as long war was fought by capitalist states; the moment a socialist state entered the brawl he supported it.
  • Squick: When Joe is trying to communicate to a nurse by banging his head in Morse code, the nurse misinterprets him and thinks he wants a handjob. So she gives him one.
    • Then, of course, there's what's left of Joe's face.
      • And the rat gnawing at him. Or was that part All Just a Dream?
      • Sometimes the details of Joe's condition can go from Squick straight into Nightmare Fuel.
  • Tear Jerker
  • The Woobie: Joe. Poor, poor Joe.