"Point the way and we will point the gun"

What does Joe realize that the end of the novel? What is he pointing the gun for?

Joe realizes at the end of the novel that the people that make others kill are the ones, ironically, in charge. It's not them pointing the gun or doing the work. Joe also comes to the conclusion that the whole idea of war is irony because in order to prevent fighting, you must fight. So now that Joe has come to this realization of what he believes, he is willing to fight for it. He is willing to fight for his country if it's good and fitting.

At the end of the book, Joe is pointing the gun towards the men that tell him to fight. One of the quotes I really like in the last chapter is, “You plan the wars you masters of men plan the wars and point the way and we will point the gun” (p,242). Joe knows that he has to point the gun at the masters because they the ones causing the deaths in the war.