joe`s realization .

At the end of the novel, Joe finally realizes something so important. He realizes that he is apart of the future and that he could affect the future soldiers. These soldiers could be affected because they are actually seeing what could possibly happen to them at war. They would come to notice that they could end up like Joe, dead, or crippled. Therefore, it is somewhat a good thing that allowing Joe to go outside the hospital is against regulations. Not only does the hospital not want to let him out, but the government and military do not want to either because they do not want people to NOT fight for their country.

Being that the government has their opinion of not wanting Joe to leave the hospital, Joe has an opinion of the government. Joe is pointing the gun at people like the government, the people who want all these soldiers to go fight. He does not understand how these fighters are being told they are fighting for democracy, but at the same time everyone is fighting and killing each other. He does not like the fact that these people, like the government, are sending these soldiers over to fight and aren't even fighting themselves. The ones that are declaring and starting the wars are not even the ones that actually fight in the wars.

joe`s desires .

I agree with Joe and his desires to get out and explore and just be able to get out and communicate with people. I also support the fact that he wants people to come and see him and how he survived. I think he wants to be able to communicate or enjoy the presence of someone else other than the doctors and nurses. He just wants to be treated and be able to do the things like a human being outside the hospital. I do agree with how he wants right now. I would definitely want to be treated like a normal human, however, isn't that what everyone who is in the hospital wants?

I am not exactly sure if I would want the exact same things as Joe. I do not think that I could easily relate, being that I have not been the situation like Joe. Therefore, it is hard to say what I would think. I understand how Joe wants to be able to communicate with others and he wants people to see him, however, I do not support the idea of it seeming like he wants to be like part of a museum and everyone just comes to look at him. This is a extremely difficult case to relate to.

joe`s wants .

Joe wants to be able to be mobile and have the ability to do everything he can not do. Basically, Joe wants everything he once had before he went to war. He wants to be able to have his senses [see, hear, smell, taste, and feel], let alone be able to communicate and talk to the nurses and doctors. He wants to have his amputated limbs back. He wants to be the man he once was before the war. Joe also wants to be able to go out of the hospital and interact with the people outside of the hospital. There is really nothing for Joe to do inside the hospital, therefore, being able to get out of the hospital would benefit him, he thinks. However, he is told it is against regulations. This is true because the hospital does not want people to see what war can do to them and how they can be greatly affected by willing to fight for their country. They, the nurses and doctors at the hospital, do not want be to get this negative connotation that willing to fight for your country could lead up to this [Joe's condition]. They do not want the future soldiers to see Joe. Not allowing him to go out would keep people's hopes up about being able to save their country.

joe`s injury .

Joe is severely injured. At this point, Joe does not have a face, legs, nor arms. He is without mobility and the ability to taste [because he does not have a mouth], to hear, to see, to smell [he does not have a face at all]. His face is basically like a mask right now, being wrapped in gauze. Sadly, I do not think that whatever he loses from this point really matters. He has lost his ability to do anything but to just like there wishing he could turn back into the past and start over. However, he can not. He only lies in the bed for several years dreaming and thinking and not knowing where or not he is awake because he does not have the eyes to open to know that he is awake.

The question that I had was why are the doctors allowing him to live if he is only suffering. They amputated his limbs because they were too lazy to fix them, however, they are just making his life worse. But I do understand that it is his own decision to whether or not he wants to die being that he is in this horrific state. I honestly believe that I would not want to live like this. I think I would just tell the doctors I would want to die. However, it is so easy for me to say, being that I have never experienced being in this deadly form.