Johnny Got His Gun characters

Appears from the start

A young American soldier who begins to regain consciousness after being wounded in the First World War. Unable at first to understand where he is or what has happened, he tries to separate present sensations from dreams and memories of his family.

Appears from the start

Joe's father, remembered as a loving, hardworking man whose death reached Joe by telephone. Family poverty limited his ambitions but not his care for his children, and Joe's memories of him mix affection with regret over moments when the son's growing independence caused pain.

First appears in chapter 6

Joe's mother, a steady center of his childhood home. His memories return to her domestic routines, religious faith, and closeness with his father, preserving a world of family intimacy against the isolation of the hospital.

First appears in chapter 4

Joe's girlfriend before he goes to war. Their young relationship is tender and physically intimate, and the memory of their last night together remains bound to his anger at having been separated from ordinary life by military service.

First appears in chapter 8

Joe's friend and a rival for Diane's affection. The memory of their friendship forces Joe to revisit adolescent jealousy and betrayal, but also the ordinary conflicts that once seemed overwhelming before the war transformed the scale of loss.

First appears in chapter 8

A girl Joe dated before Kareen. Her part in Joe's memories of Bill Harper belongs to the complicated romantic life he had as a young man, when friendship, pride, and desire still offered problems that could be confronted directly.

First appears in chapter 9

A Puerto Rican coworker from one of Joe's prewar jobs. Resourceful and determined to move west, Jose treats Joe generously and tries to preserve his dignity while working toward a better position.

First appears in chapter 11

The hospital attendant whose repeated visits become Joe's chief connection to the world outside his mind. Because he can feel her hands and movements, he learns to recognize patterns in her care and use them as evidence about time and his surroundings.

First appears in chapter 17

A nurse whose different touch alerts Joe that someone new is caring for him. She is unusually attentive to his responses and becomes the first person to understand that his movements are deliberate attempts at contact.

First appears in chapter 17

A physician brought to Joe after the staff recognizes his purposeful signaling. He tests the movement of Joe's head and participates in the effort to turn that repeated motion into communication.

First appears in chapter 19

A senior military visitor present when Joe is formally displayed and decorated. To Joe, the officer represents the institution that praises his sacrifice while controlling whether his own wishes will be heard.