Catch-22 and the Theme of Death

Though ludicrous, it is tragic how easily Yossarian replaces Giuseppe, an incident that underscores the military’s view of the soldiers as walking corpses – an army of identical Bartlebys designed only to fight and die. This outlook is relied on most heavily by Colonel Cathcart, a “…dedicated military tactician who calculate[s] day and night in the service of himself” (188), and whose only purpose is to get promoted. Using humorous, paradoxical descriptions, Heller establishes Cathcart as a pathetic and ridiculous character who “…multiply[s] fantastically the grandeur of his victories and exaggerat[es] tragically the seriousness of his defeats” (188). At first, it is easy to laugh off Cathcart’s overanalyzing and selfish antics – a mockery of the typical power-hungry politician – but the amusement dies when it becomes apparent how many lives are affected by the actions of this absurd character. The convoluted hierarchy allows Cathcart to essentially do anything he wants to make himself look good. Despite the obvious risks to the men’s lives, he volunteers his troops for the most dangerous assignments and constantly raises the number of required missions while he himself remains comfortably stationed at HQ to collect the credit. The chaotic structure of Catch-22 itself opposes the charade of order offered by the bureaucracy and reflects the confusion faced by those exploited by the selfish and the powerful. Due to Cathcart’s self-interested actions, the

It stated that he “had decided to live forever or die in the attempt, and his only mission each time he went up was to come down alive” (pg. 38 Catch 22) It shows how a man’s overconfidence led him believing he could do the impossible and “live forever” and that he would be praised in dying in the attempt. When it says how “that might be the answer- to act boastfully about something we ought to be ashamed of. That’s the trick that never seems to fail” (pg. 149 Catch22), saying how men feign ignorance and let themselves believe that it is okay to act shamefully. He says to another “you have no respect for excessive authority or obsolete traditions. You’re dangerous and depraved, and you ought to be taken outside and shot” (pg. 309 Catch 22) which shows how he doesn’t have self- discipline and was overconfident in his skills. In the book Catch 22 it states how “morale was deteriorating” (pg415 Catch 22) and how their pride overclouded their judgement when it is stated how “it doesn’t make a damned difference who wins the war to someone’s who’s dead” (Pg. 123 Catch 22.) Men are showed to enjoy being able to manipulate other’s emotions and shows how one of his characters felt less inferior when “he studied her features to see if she was going to cry and he saw that she wasn’t. He noticed it with disappointment.” (I don’t love you anymore Pg. 5) It is stated how when “’Yossarian came close to a blush of pride’” and how he stated “it’s traveled that far?” (Closing time pg. 353) when others praised him having something going on with one of the nurses and that he feels more masculine when it is publicized. It stated how “it’s that pride of possession,” and how the character said “you eye mine too, don’t you?” (Pg. 357 Closing Time) which shows how men fight over their possessions to make them feel more overpowered. A man states how “you are doing business with the man who devised…

In the novel, "Catch-22", many characters are described based on the perception of Yossarian, the main character. Yossarian is a flight bombardier in World War II and the novel focuses on his interactions and conflicts with the men and officers in his squadron, the medical staff, and the whores in Rome. One of the men in the Twenty-Seventh Air Force squadron is Milo Minderbinder. Milo is an intelligent, but heartless, businessman that symbolizes the corporate business ethic.

Death is a distinctive motif in Tim O’Brien’s, The Things They Carried, and in relation to this extract. The author develops this theme situating the extract in between stories of Ted Lavender’s death, showing how violent the war is physically and psychologically, while displaying what people become of it. He begins describing the soldier’s methods of dealing with death, while using an extended metaphor to accentuate this act. The passage continues to describe a fellow soldier’s death and how they joke to mask the pain of death. In the concluding paragraph the psychological trauma of the men is highlighted through the idea of their emotional baggage. This extract shows that war is not just about killing the enemy, as it is just as much of a war with yourself.

War is a harrowing event that reoccurs throughout history, and results in the barbaric loss of human life. War is also prevalent in the novel Catch-22, authored by Joseph Heller, and has a profound effect on all of the characters. This novel follows Captain John Yossarian and his squadron of bombardiers in the U.S. Army during World War II, who are serving in Italy. Despite continually enduring threatening situations and aiding the war efforts, the soldier’s illogical superiors regard them as unworthy of recognition or respect. In the narrative Catch-22, the treatment of certain characters demonstrates that the truest inhumanity of war is that the lives and deaths of

Every eight seconds an innocent human being falls to the ground to their ultimate demise. Death is inevitable and unavoidable. Therefore life must be lived to its fullest. Unfortunately many people do not realize this predetermined fact until they witness a death firsthand. So be the case of the protagonist, Captain Yossarian, in the novel Catch-22. Although surrounded by constant bloodshed and war, Yossarian does not understand the significance of life until his tail gunner, Snowden, is killed on a mission. Through Snowden’s death, the novel’s main themes of the absurdity of language, life, and bureaucracy are illuminated.

Yossarian takes the whole war personally: unswayed by national ideals or abstract principles, Yossarian is furious that his life is in constant danger through no fault of his own. He has a strong desire to live and is determined to be immortal or die trying. As a result, he spends a great deal of his time in the hospital, faking various illnesses in order to avoid the war. As the novel progresses through its loosely connected series of recurring stories and anecdotes, Yossarian is continually troubled by his memory of Snowden, a soldier who died in his arms on a mission when Yossarian lost all desire to participate in the war. Yossarian is placed in ridiculous, absurd, desperate, and tragic circumstances—he sees friends die and disappear, his squadron get bombed by its own mess officer, and colonels and generals volunteer their men for the most perilous battle in order to enhance their own

Through Yossarian’s character, Heller satirizes the fact that not everybody involved in war is a hero. Although Yossarian contributes to the war effort and does his share, deep inside he is truly traumatized by the war and cannot bring himself to be brave. Unlike the others who put themselves on the line in battle, Yossarian’s paranoia causes him to hide in hospitals, pretending to suffer from sickness.

Imagine being stuck in a box with absolutely no way out. Everyday becomes another struggle to escape only to find that you are being controlled and confined for no apparent reason. One would eventually let reality slip through their hands and welcome insanity into their empty minds. This is the life of the men in the novel Catch-22, by Joseph Heller. Catch-22 introduces a world were sanity and insanity have switch places, were the logical man is pronounced crazy and the insane man is pronounced a hero. In the novel Catch-22, the theme that is portrayed is that it is impossible to live as a sane person in an insane world. Heller supports this theme with the use of situations that happen to the main

Works of fiction are often incredibly valuable vessels in which truths are conveyed from an author to their readers, and Catch 22 by Joseph Heller is no exception. While this novel contains crazy characters, a satirical retelling of World War 2, and a myriad of humorous happenings, Heller also uses this story as a foundation on which to impress on the reader many themes and moral dilemmas to ponder. One of the largest themes that is explored in this novel is death, as well as how that affects humanity. This is incredibly fitting when taken into account that this particular story is set in World War 2, and death is something that is witnessed all throughout the novel. While there is a tendency to view death- especially in regards to fighting

War, it strips people of their sanity and ethics, still it is considered a catalyst for change. War can be necessary for progress although “…to the victims of that progress…[is] it acceptable (or just inescapable?)… ” (Howard Zinn 17). Yossarion, the protagonist is drafted for war. At twenty-eight years old, the bombardier is stationed in World War II, set on a fictional island in Pianosa, Italy. There are many opinions on war, there are pacifists, war romanticizers, and those who refuse to be involved even though it is abundantly needed. In the novel Catch-22, by Joseph Heller, the author uses Yossarion’s experience of war to portray that war may be necessary for a variety of reasons, but it is by no means virtuous because the cost of progress leaves one’s mental stability devastated.

John Yossarian is a bombardier of the 256th Squadron of the Army Air Forces during World War II. He is stationed in Pianosa, a small island off the coast of Italy, and has been ordered to bomb enemy positions. The story begins with Yossarian attempting to escape the war through feigning liver complications, which could be considered the exposition of this story. Through this experience, the reader learns about Yossarian’s hatred and confusion towards the war and his strong desire to avoid it at all costs. Yossarian views the war in a different way than most: he is angered by the arbitrary nature of death and by the fact that at any point, he himself could succumb to the war. It is for this reason that Yossarian is so affected by the death of Snowden, a soldier who died right in front of him in the air.

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller is an obvious satire about modern day ethics in business, medicine, and the military and the incompetence, pettiness, and corruption within the bureaucratic ranks of the military. Each of its character’s represent something special and they are either aggressors or victims of the aggressors. The aggressors in the novel are the ones who bully or manipulate selfishly and heartless. They have zero compassion for human life and answer only to those with the money and the power. The victims are the ones that are the target of such bullying and manipulation by the aggressors. The aggressors in the novel are Milo Minderbinder, ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen, Colonel Cathcart, General Dreedle, and Captain Black. The victims in Catch-22 are Yossarian, Doc Daneeka, Nately, the Chaplain, and Major Major.

“Helplessness against the destructive forces within is ubiquitous and constitutes the greatest physical danger-situation known to the human organism” (Young 1). Catch-22 is a novel that is interpreted and

“Everyman” is a metaphorical story that illustrates the value of life and death. The famous medieval play of the 20th century elucidates around the lifetime journey, the sins, family, and the day of reckoning. Death is perceived distinctively in various cultures and tends to impact an individual personally as compared to a group. The journey to