Joe, the narrator of Johnny Got His Gun, never actually addresses us directly, to explain ideas to us or to admonish us for our views. Nonetheless, the novel as a whole is nevertheless didactic, as it puts forth a proposition and backs that proposition up with persuasive argument and rhetorical devices. In one sense, the story line of Johnny Got His Gun could be seen not as Joe's struggle to communicate with the outside world, but as Joe's formation of a political consciousness. Both Book I and Book II end with incensed tirades from Joe about the politics of capitalism as they play out in modern warfare. The tone of both chapters, while still very angry, seems slightly more elevated than the rest of the novel. The sections use a variety of rhetorical devices, such as hypothetical questions, such as in Chapter x: "What the hell good to you is your native land after you're dead?" These sections also use the rhetorical device of repetition, such as with words like "democracy" and "liberty" in Chapter x. Finally, both sections move through an argument, using a variety of points and examples to sustain those points to arrive at a conclusion. These emphasized moments of Joe's political awareness not only chart Joe's progress and the unfortunately enlightened position in which his injury has left him, but offer instruction to us as well.