Lazarus is the nickname for an unknown German soldier whom Joe’s regiment kills. Despite the regiment’s efforts to bury him, Lazarus literally rises from the grave (like the biblical Lazarus rises from the dead) not once but twice after artillery shells send his corpse flying out of the ground. Lazarus’s corpse’s refusal to stay buried and out of sight provides a grim visual reminder of the horrors of war.
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Lazarus Character Timeline in Johnny Got His Gun
The timeline below shows where the character Lazarus appears in Johnny Got His Gun. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 12
Joe recalls the story of a German soldier that his British comrades nicknamed Lazarus. In the story, Lazarus wandered alone out of the fog near British lines, probably lost...
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The corporal buries Lazarus again, but he gets shot in the butt during the burial service and has to...
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...to get through the barbed wire, he fell and stuck his whole arm right through Lazarus. This upsets the young soldier so much that he goes “stark crazy” and eventually ends...
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