Catch 22 Essay

Catch 22 Book Review Essay
Title: Catch–22
Author: Joseph Heller
Text type: fiction novel
The novel Catch–22 by Joseph Heller, focuses on Captain John Yossarian, a bombardier in the 256th
Squadron of the Army Air Forces during World War II, stationed on Pianosa, a fictionalized island in
the Mediterranean off the western coast of mainland Italy. After a mentally devastating combat
mission Yossariantried to get out of flying any more missions and get sent back to America. As we
follow him on his mission to escape combat we see many weird things happen to Yossarian and his
fellow squadron members along the way. Thenovel is written mostly from Yossarian's viewpoint,
with some chapters being from other viewpoints.
When I first got the book I was expecting more of an action...show more content...
While reading the book I found the distorted time line confusing and hard to understand. The story
focused primarily on Yossarian's mission to leave the army, however some chapters based on other's
viewpoints made reference to previous events that Yossarian had not informed us about in the main
storyline. I found these jumps back and forth in time rather confusing. At times this makes the book
undesirable and unenjoyable to read. I think that this took away from the story as it would have
been easier and more enjoyable to read if it was chronologically structured. After I finished reading
the book, I understood how everything linked together and how it was carefully structured to allow
for easy transitions between chapters and characters view points, but I feel that structuring it
chronologically would still have been better for the reader's enjoyment.
Overall I liked the novel, Catch–22 after finishing it. After some of the confusion of the distorted
time line was overcome the drama in Rome and around the army base was highly enjoyable to read
about, and despite the muddled up story line the novel flowed really well between different
characters' story arcs. However, I would be in no hurry to recommend this novel to others as I found
it often confusing and hard to understand with the distorted time
Get more content on HelpWriting.net

Essay On Catch 22
Alyssa Sittineri Catch–22 IRJ I.Introduction Catch–22 by Joseph Heller Novel Published in 1961
during the end of the modernist literary period, the novel is created around World War II and the
American perspective of the war. The protagonist of the novel is Yossarian as the majority of the
novel focuses on what he encounters and goes through during the war. Yossarian is a paranoid
captain during the war and he does not think the war effort and flying more missions is worth losing
his life. The antagonist of the novel is Connel Cathcart who is always out to get Yossarian and keeps
raising the number of required combat missions, increasing the chances of getting Yossarian and
other men killed. The novel focuses...show more content...
The point of view throughout each chapter during the novel switches from character to character
but often has a central focus point or reference to Yossarian. The novel alludes to the Bible and the
Odyssey. II. "He started forward in a straight line, and the wall of officers before him parted like the
Red Sea. Glancing neither left nor right, he strode indomitably up to the steam counter and, in a
clear, full–bodied voice that was gruff with age and resonant with ancient eminence and authority,
said: 'Gimme eat.'" (pg. 116) The short passage uses a common biblical allusion to depict Major–de
Coverley in a point of view that is fearful or wary of his presence. The biblical allusion of Moses
parting the Red Sea is used to describe how Major–de Coverley parted through other men. Several
scenes throughout the novel show how men are frightened by Major–de Coverley and would rather
obey him than to disturb him out of fear. The passage is significant because it shows how the men
see him as a man of power as he is compared to the biblical character Moses. However the passage
has an unexpected ending when Major–de Coverley says "Gimme eat". The audience expects a
Major in a war to be honorable, educated, and to have great communication skills. Major–de
Coverley is extremely illiterate in this scene and almost childlike. It puts a different perspective on
how the Air Force chooses to rank their men, in this case being feared and respected is more

Tragic Comedy In Catch-22
You can't stop flying unless you're crazy; you cannot not stop flying if you're sane; and the only
people who want to fly are crazy. This absurd logic, hilarious at first, is the root of Catch–22, and is
but one such absurd joke among many in the book. In Catch–22, Joseph Heller employs comedy to
illustrate how initially comical characteristics can, when pulled to the extremes, lead people to enact
cruelties. Many of the most memorable moments of Catch–22 are indisputably hilarious. One such
example is Colonel Cathcart, an indecisive squadron leader obsessed with his own self image.
Plagued by constant doubts about his every choice, Colonel Cathcart oscillates rapidly and randomly
between relying on his subordinate Colonel Korn for advice...show more content...
In retrospect, Colonel Cathcart's blatant goalpost manipulation isn't funny anymore once you
consider that all the deaths it causes had no other reason than pointless posturing. In fact, upon
seeing its results, his actions are sickening. When has it ever been funny to give soldiers hope of
returning home just to snatch it away? Why were we laughing at this tragedy? The darker
implications of Cathcart's actions reflect twistedly on the humor of those first scenes. These
cherished, humorous moments of the book cannot be laughed at anymore without a sense of unease.
This evolution of scenes is especially clear with the novel's name. The Catch–22 in the beginning is
but a series of elaborate and absurd paradoxes. Yossarian cannot go home until he reaches the
required number of missions, but the required number of missions always increases. It's impossible
to enter Major Major's office if he's in it, but you can talk to him in his office when he's not in the
office. The initial uses of Catch–22 is that of a comedic device that revels in the absurdity of the
world. Our ability to twist logic for our own means entertains us in the novelty of what can result
from it. As the book draws to a close, however, Catch–22 starts being used with a distinctively
different connotation, shown when Yossarian escapes to Rome. There, upon entering the

Alliteration In Catch 22 Essay
Catch–22 War is a serious topic that has been around for as long as anyone can remember. Heller's
novel, is a comedy about soldiers during WWII. Yet, when observed closely, these "comic" scenes
are actually quite tragic just as most things related to war are. Alliteration In Catch–22, Heller
implements alliteration often in Yossarian's descriptions of his fellow men in arms, in
conversations between the soldiers, and in some of the characters names. For example, "Doc
Deneeka" and "Colonel Cathcart". When Yossarian begins to describe his fellow servicemen he
will usually begin a strand of alliterating adjectives which eventually lead to contradicting adjectives
and add a little humor to Yossarian's insanity as well as show his true negative opinions with the
words connotations. "Colonel Cathcart was a slick, successful, slipshod", is an example of how
Yossarian's feels about Colonel Cathcart. His negative connotations come to show that Yossarian
dislikes the Colonel because although he pretends to have the best interest of his country and his
service, he's really interested only in self–promotion. Repetition In addition to alliteration, repetition
is also implied by...show more content...
"He does see everything twice.." is a passage that is an example of symbolism which symbolizes
balance. The word twice in the passage emphasizes how there is two sides to every aspect in life.
Personally, I can connect this passage to myself because a couple of months ago I was struggling
with some personal issues. I was starting to deal with depression and I couldn't clearly view the
grand things in life. Suddenly, something sparked inside of me and galvanized me to not only
focus on the negative aspects of life, but to open my eyes and see the marvelous blessings as well.
In this passage, Yossarian understood that each aspect of life has its opposite which created
balance... white and black, good and evil, life and death just like the

Catch-22 Essay
Milo Minderbinder
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.
The first time Milo meets Yossarian, he tries to make a deal with him. Milo wanted to make
Yossarian his business partner when he found out that Yossarian is entitled to all the fruit he desires.
Yossarian refused to take part in Milo's...show more content...
Milo even changed the slogans, "Truth" and "Courage", on the airplanes to "M & M Enterprises."
When Snowden and Mudd died, Milo refused to take any responsibility for their deaths. Milo had
an indirect responsibility involving the death of Snowden. When Snowden was dying on the
plane, Yossarian tried to find syringes of morphine, but instead found a note stating, "What's
good for M & M Enterprises is good for the country." Milo was the main reason why Mudd died.
On Mudd's first mission, he was killed, because when his plane was in the German's range, Milo
informed them and the plane was destroyed. Yossarian blamed Milo for Mudd's death, but Milo
replied by saying that he has the right to benefit from the war and since the syndicate belongs to
everyone, he can help everyone profit as well.
Like many successful businessmen, Milo used his economic knowledge to gain political power.
When Milo went on a mission with Yossarian and Orr, we found out that Milo is the mayor of
Palermo because of his ability to make Palermo the third largest Scotch exporter in the world.
When they arrived in Palermo, the people crowded the streets just to see Milo. They even had
huge banners with Milo's picture on it. On the mission, we also found out that Milo has been
elected mayor in several other cities. Milo is gaining all of his power by simply being the
middleman in all of the syndicate's

Catch 22 Essay
The Deft Touch of Catch 22:
Heller's Harmonious Unison of Comedy and Tragedy
Since the dawn of literature and drama, comedy and tragedy have always been partitioned into
separate genres. Certainly most tragedies had comedic moments, and even the zaniest comedies were
at times serious. However, even the development of said tragicomedies left the division more or less
intact. Integrating a total comedy and a total tragedy into a holistic union that not only preserved
both features, but also blended them into a new and harmonious entity remained elusive. That is, until
Catch–22. Using his unique style and structure, Joseph Heller masterfully manages to interlay humor
and terror, comedy and tragedy, and reveals in the process the...show more content...
Clevinger is perhaps the best example of a deluded character. His debate with Yossarian serves as an
insightful evaluation of their psyche. He argues that, although everyone is trying to kill him,
everyone is not trying to kill him. The humor of the debate cannot be denied, but horror and tragedy
are equally present. The debate leaves the audience struggling to decide who is crazy. Clevinger falls
into an obvious contradiction, but his argument still strikes as common sense. In face of Yossarian's
triumphant "What difference does that make?" the audience is left not only with the
realization of its speciousness, but of the realization that they believed it. The terror evoked by the
deluded lies mainly in that the audience is equally deluded. Perhaps Clevinger, Appleby, and
Havermeyer are fighting for "what they have been told" was their country–– and perhaps
so has the audience. The genius of Heller's characterization is further enhanced as the audience sees
itself in the hollow rationale of the deluded, and is aghast with horror, even in face of such humor.
With this revelation, Heller compels the audience to follow the rebellious path of Yossarian, or fall
victim to the indoctrination of society, and meet the same fate as the deluded.
As the audience is bombarded with insanely comedic ironies of Catch–22, they are further aware of
its horror. A primary example of irony is found inMilo, when he is

Essay on Catch 22
In Catch–22, Joseph Heller reveals the perversions of the human character and society. Using
various themes and a unique style and structure, Heller satirizes war and its values as well as using
the war setting to satirize society at large. By manipulating the "classic" war setting and
language of the novel Heller is able to depict society as dark and twisted. Heller demonstrates his
depiction of society through the institution of war (i.e. it's effects and problems during and after
war). In the novel, the loss of individuality through the lives of the soldiers; the insanity of war and
Heller's solution to insanity; and the idea of "there is always a catch" in life is shown to a
dramatic extent. Heller's novel not only...show more content...
The men are grounded if they are insane, but if they recognize the insanity of their missions, they are
sane––and must fly more missions. These men are trapped in a crazy world––each searching for his
own solution. Each of them has their own unique and bizarre personal insanity (e.g. The bombardier,
Havermeyer, zeroes straight in on targets, no matter how much antiaircraft fire peppers his plane.
Other members of the squadron seem even crazier. Chief White Halfoat keeps threatening to slit his
roommate's throat. Hungry Joe keeps everyone awake with his screaming nightmares. Corporal
Snark puts soap in the men's food. Yossarian starts signing "Washington Irving" to letters
he censors, and he goes naked for a few days––even when he is being awarded a medal.)––and as
Heller suggests, the only sane response to a crazy situation is insanity. When Yossarian and his
friends begin asking clever questions to disrupt boring educational sessions, Colonel Korn
decides that only those who never ask questions may ask questions. When they want to discuss a
problem with Major Major, they are allowed into his office only when he is out. Even when
Yossarian is offered an apparently harmless deal that would allow him to go home as a hero, there
is a catch. He must betray his friends by praising the officers who caused many of them to die. And
as Heller shows, life is reduced to one frustrating paradox after another.
In form, Catch–22 is a social satire––it's a

Existentialism In Catch 22
A very basic way of thinking about literary theories, are that these ideas act as different lenses
critics use to view and talk about art, literature, and even culture (Brizee, Tompkins, Chernouski, &
Boyle, 2016). Throughout the last two and a half years, we have read many different novels each
depicting a different literary theory. New Historicism
New Historicism can be viewed as a literary theory in which the ideas and assumptions of the
prevailing historic era are considered when viewing or analysing a text. The New Historicist are
said to believe the concepts regarding the era's political function of literature and power.
In other words, history is this theory is not simply an account of facts and events, but rather an
intricate portrayal...show more content...
A further expounding of the relationship between black humour and existentialism in literature will
clarify Catch–22's position in literary history (La–mei, 2014).
Deconstruction
Deconstruction is a critical outlook regarding the relationship between text and meaning.
Furthermore, deconstruction is a way of reading any text and thereby exposing the instability of
meaning which the text tries to cover up.
Deconstruction, is nevertheless a form of philosophical and literary analysis, resultant mainly from
work begun in the 1960s by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida, that questions the fundamental
theoretical distinctions, or "oppositions," in Western philosophy through a close analysis of the
language and logic of philosophical and literary texts (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, 2016).
When looking at Joseph Heller's novel, Catch–22, the context is certainly not limited to just the
World War II setting. The readers are welcome to conclude to their own interpretations and live the
happenings of the book in a situation close to themselves. The Deconstruction theory is a complex
and difficult theory to grasp, and Catch–22 meets the characteristics of this

Catch 22 Critical Analysis
Catch–22 takes place during the second half of WW2 and follows an Assyrian soldier named
Yossarian,who is stationed with his Air Force squadron on the Italian island of Pianosa. Here he and
his friends face the cruelty of War and the idiocracy of their naive and overly ambitious superior
officers. The squadron is constantly thrown into combat merely with the mission to get cool
photographs rather than to destroy their targets. Through these inane missions their leaders also
continuously raise the number of missions each Airman is required to fly, meaning no one is ever
sent home. Yossarianexists with this sense of angst, as he feels no one realizes what is going on
around them; the war, the cruelty of their officers, etc.
Throughout the war Yossarian disregards the national causes for the war and takes it personally. He
feels as if he was thrust into this without his consent, and oftentimes he tries to find a way out of the
military. He hates being thrust into these absurd circumstances where his friends die. Situations such
as being bombed by his own mess officer and his generals volunteering them for perilous missions
to better their reputation. Yossarian finds out that he can be discharged for being insane, but only
proves his sanity by claiming to be insane, as any sane person would claim insanity to avoid being in
the military. Shortly after Catch–22 is defined as any circular dilemma that you cannot escape due to
conflicting conditions, often resulting in the

Themes Of Catch 22
Catch–22's Recurrent Themes as Real World Issues
Heller provides a satirical depiction of military bureaucracy and authoritarianism through the many
antics of a B–25 bombardier, Yossarian. When Catch–22 was first released, its reviews were
polarizing. Some critics praised its raunchy humor and depiction of war, in all of its gruesome
detail. Others loathed its seemingly nonsensical plot structure and repetitiveness. Heller, born in
1923, was part of the "G.I. Generation" and served during World War II in the Army Air Corps as
a bombardier. He flew sixty missions, but one drastically affected Heller. In a flight to Avignon,
after dropping his bombs, his pilot went into a large climb but nearly stalled the plane's engines. In
order to stop...show more content...
He would plead insanity, but he cannot due to the "Catch–22" principle that requires him to file a
report of insanity; however, this would prove he is actually sane because he fears for his own life.
Yossarianwitnesses the death or "disappearance" of most of his close friends before the end of the
book, leaving him with nothing to lose. In a final act of defiance, Yossarian proclaims that he is not
flying any more missions. The officers take him into custody and give him an offer: go home to the
United States and spread the good word about the war effort, or be court–martialed. He takes the first
offer, but then goes AWOL in a B
–25 on a route to Switzerland (Heller). The "Catch–22" principle
and Yossarian's defiant acts create a picture of the effects of authoritarianism, greed, as well as
military bureaucracy as seen through the eyes of Heller during the 1950s and 1960s.
The "Catch–22" principle functions as a literary device repeatedly throughout the book as a
representation of authority's theft of personal freedom. The principle is repeatedly used as a
justification for obscene acts and statements in the book. For example, at one point Military Police
officers raid a brothel frequented by the soldiers and officers. They ransack the building and destroy
everything that is breakable. When Yossarian arrives to the brothel, an old woman is worried sick
about all of the prostitutes and says "Catch–22 says they have a right to do

Catch 22 Literary Analysis
Catch 22 is a historical fiction novel written by Joseph Heller that follows the occurrences and
events surrounding Captain John Yossarian during his time as a fighter pilot flying for the Allied
Powers during World War II. The pilots experience constant fear of death and anxiety, causing rash
decisions, forcing them to do things they would not in normal circumstances. The majority of the
events in the novel pertain to the troops' daily life and their reactions to occurrences and
unfortunate events. Heller had personal experience with war, as he himself was a bombardier in the
Second World War. His unique perspective and experience allow the novel to have an overall
hyper–realistic and detailed atmosphere, leading the reader to believe that he himself most likely had
moments where he suffered psychologically from the events of the war. Anxiety and fear of death
cause the troops to act and make decisions in a manner they normally would not, seen in their
strange decisions, behavior, lack of loyalty, and the presence of insanity within the men. The
unyielding agitation and uneasiness is relentless and causes the airmen to act in a strange and
unusual manner when compared to their normal mental status. "You're inches away from death
every time you go on a mission" (Heller 48). The author shows the weight of the situation and what
the airmen are putting on the line every time they are assigned a new mission with this quote. This
almost definitely affects them psychologically,

Catch 22 Essay
" In order to be grounded you must be crazy, but if you ask to be grounded, you must not be crazy
anymore, so you have to continue flying"(Heller 40). This is the justification of what a catch–22 is.
Insane behavior and the fight for freedom are both acts, which transpire in Catch 22. Yossarian, a
squadron captain is in World War II flying a plane and fighting for his country. Though trying to get
out, he knows there is only one way, and that would only get him "away" from all of the terror. This
brings the reader to the theme of the play, escape. "Insanity is the only sane way to deal with an
insane situation"(Heller 78). Joseph Heller's Catch–22 explains an insight of which a paradox
providing no way out of conflict is overcome and in...show more content...
Being stuck there with both, no way out until being told by some one of a higher rank. Personally
speaking, I am currently employed at a job making only a small weekly sum of money. Moreover
I am not experienced enough to work somewhere making a larger amount of money. My
education is limited at the moment, so I must stick with my current job (or one like it) or have no
job at all. The whole idea of escape can be applied to most any aspect of life.
To an extent the thought of escape can be universal. People will go great lengths to get out of the
situation they are in. Not always getting out of the situation though, and sometimes becoming
emotionally distressed or even leading to their insanity. Troubles plague all, be they small or large.
Some troubles have an open route for escape and some do not. Doctor Danceka explains.
"He thinks he's got troubles? What about me? Oh, I'm not complaining I know there's a war on. I
know a lot of people are going to have to suffer for us to win it. But why must I be one of them?
Why don't they draft some of these old doctors who keep shooting their kissers off in public about
what big sacrifices the medical game stands ready to make? I don't want to make sacrifices. I want
to make dough" (Heller 26).
That is the way it is in real life and how people perceive / approach problems. Hypothetically
speaking, there is a poor woman with a

Catch 22 Dialectical Journal
Catch–22 by Joseph Keller is a story set during the second half of World War II, revealing the lives
of soldiers, the dilemmas of war and the paradoxes made to keep men in war by country leaders.
The main character, John Yossarian is a US Air Force bombardier who has a strong desire to stay
out of war, but unfortunately is unable to because of the standards set by the government,
increasing the number of missions a soldier had to fly before he could leave. His squadron is
stationed on the island of Pianosa, near the Mediterranean Sea. The main paradox was that if a
man proved his insanity, he would have to fly his missions in order to prove his insanity, yet if he
were sane, he would still stay in war and fly. Either way, all soldiers, sane or not, had to stay....show
more content...
It was to keep living, because death was on the corner for every man, as the average death rate
was 5% per mission. Keller remarked how "the enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed,
no matter which side he is on." This describes how the army began to lose faith in each other and
strived only to survive, as was the basic instinct of the human nature, stripped of all its values and
sentiments. They learned to keep surviving for themselves instead of defending their country once
they realized the war was useless and they were probably going to die eventually. This is important
because it shows the true nature of the men in the army during the Vietnam

Catch 22 Essay
Since the publishing of the book "Catch–22", a lot of controversy has surged from the possible
definitions of the phrase. The book "Catch–22" invented a phrase that became extremely popular.
This phrase was used in the book to talk about a certain situation in which the main character was
involved. The phrase "Catch 22" has evolved into a phrase to describe arguably any paradoxical
situation when its original purpose was to be a specific kind of paradoxical situation in which the
outcome is always exactly the same. This process of "evolution" that the phrase suffered has led to
a misconception and misuse of the phrase. It can be inferred that this phrase has suffered a lot of the
evolution from of its initial boom. People who read the novel may have used the phrase on their lives
to describe that specific situation, which is quite rare. Other people who may have heard them might
have tried to figure out its meaning looking at the example in which the phrase was used upon,
while other may have asked what the...show more content...
When he asks why, she says that he can't marry him because he is crazy for wanting to marry a
non–virgin. This is a perfect example of a Catch–22 because Yossarian loses either way, but the
outcome is the same either way: he can't marry her, yet people dismiss it, giving them less of a base
to understand Heller's concept of a Catch–22. Because of this people might consider the following an
example of a Catch–22 even tho it is not: "A woman's child is being beaten by her father. If she
reports it to the authority she is at risk of losing her child, but if she doesn't report it, the child will
continue to be beaten. It is a lose–lose situation" This confusion has led to adults learning the
incorrect concept, which obviously has an influence on newer

Catch-22 and the Theme of Death
Catch–22 and the Theme of Death
There are many ways for a man to die, but there is no way to bring him back after he has entered the
world of dead. Catch–22 is a novel satirizing war, and because of this, it inevitably has a strong
underlying theme of death. But unlike many war novels, Catch–22 doesn't use violent depictions of
fighting or bloody death scenes to denounce the evils of war; it utilizes humor and irony to make an
arguably more effective point. And even more importantly, Catch–22 is ultimately a novel about
hope, not death. Although the inevitability of death is still a prominent motif, it eventually leads the
main character, Yossarian, to realize that the desire to live is important and also that he...show more
content...
Yossarian's most startling glimpse into the terrors of war and death comes when he spends a night
alone on the streets of Rome. He sees homeless children; he witnesses men beating children and
dogs, a rape, and a convulsing soldier; he walks over a street littered with broken human teeth. This
is one of the rare sections of the novel that does not use humor to point out the cruelty and
inhumanity of the world. The scene comes to a climax when Yossarian returns to his apartment and
discovers that Aarfy has raped an innocent maid and then thrown her out his window, leaving her
dead on the sidewalk below. Then, ironically, Yossarian is arrested for being in Rome without a
pass and Aarfy is given an apology for the disturbance, his hideous crime going unpunished. This
chapter is when Yossarian begins to really recognize the true face of the military and the meaning of
Catch–22; when he goes to the brothel and the old woman tells him that the girls have all been
kicked out of their home by soldiers, she explains to him that "Catch–22 says they have a right to do
anything we can't stop them from doing" (417;Ch.39). Catch–22 is the justification for every wrong
the military commits, and it overrides every other moral law. The horrors that the military creates
will never stop, and Yossarian begins to realize that he cannot fight and die

Postmodernism And Modernism In Catch 22
Regarding the plot of the novel, Catch–22 follows the experiences of Captain Yossarian, a
bombardier in the Mediterranean theater of World War II in 1944, who flies missions from the
island of Pianosa over targets in Italy and France. He is surrounded by a huge cast of colourful and
often weird characters, who are intended to satirize not only military life but life in any large
institution. They include Doc Daneeka, the base medical officer who is more concerned with his
own problems than with those of his patients; Lieutenant Milo Minderbinder, the mess officer who
uses his connections to build a massive commercial empire that includes dealing with the enemy and
who is the culmination of the business forces In war environment.; Major Major...show more
content...
The characteristics include the use of irony, playfulness, metafiction, and black humour. It is the
term used to suggest a reaction or response to modernism in the late twentieth century. So
postmodernism can only be understood in relation to Modernism. Postmodernism describes both an
era and a broad movement that developed in the late–20th century across philosophy, the arts,
architecture and criticism which marked a departure from modernism. At its core, Postmodernism
rejects that which Modernism champions. While postmodernism seems very much like modernism
in many ways, it differs from modernism in its attitude toward a lot of these trends. Modernism, for
example, tends to present a fragmented view of human subjectivity and history, but presents that
fragmentation as something tragic, something to be lamented and mourned as a loss.
Postmodernism, in contrast, doesn't lament the idea of fragmentation, but rather celebrates it. In
literature, it used to describe certain characteristics of post–World War II literature, for example, on
fragmentation, paradox, questionable narrators, etc. and a reaction against Enlightenment ideas
implicit in Modernist

Catch 22 Psychology
Psychology in Catch–22 Catch–22 is a black comedy novel about death, about what people do when
faced with the daily likelihood of annihilation. For the most part what they do is try to survive in
any way they can. The book begins, 'The island of Pianosa lies in the Mediterranean Sea eight miles
south of Elba.' That is the geographical location of the action. Much of the emotional plot of the
book turns on the question of who's crazy, and I suggest that it is illuminating to look at its world in
Kleinian terms. The location of the story in the inner world is the claustrum – a space inside the
psychic anus, at the bottom of the psychic digestive tract, where everyone lives perpetually in
projective identification, and the only...show more content...
The intensity and complexity of the nurse's anxieties are to be attributed primarily to the peculiar
capacity of the objective features of her work situation to stimulate afresh these early situations and
their accompanying emotions' (Lyth, 1959, pp. 46–7). There are such nurses in the perverse world
of Catch 22. They tend the Man in White, in plaster from head to toe, arms and legs encased and
extended. Those whose job it is to tend him routinely take the bottle of plasma going in and the
bottle of urine going out and change them round: there is no difference between nourishment and
waste, introjection and projection; fair is foul and foul is fair. Bion describes the church and the
army as exemplary organisations for embodying the pathology of group relations. Pianosa is an
Army Air Corps base, run by mad, ambitious officers, reeking of arrogance and sycophancy, for
whom success and failure are the only measures of worth (p. 262) and survival is always at risk.
Their survival in career terms is maintained at the expense of the literal survival of the officers and
enlisted men who lie below them in the military hierarchy. The hierarchy includes General Dreedle,
who is astonished to learn that he cannot have anyone shot who irritates him (pp. 218, 279), General
Peckem, head of Special Services, who cares only for bureaucratic power in the table of organisation
and thinks it eminently rational that combat operations should come under his

Lessons Learned In 'Catch-22'
There are 3 main things that the character learned in Catch–22 between the jumping around at the
end of war or when he was in the middle of battle in the book. All of them are really crucial on
making him who he is. All these things are really adding up and taking a toll on his brain. First I
will go on to is all the men that died are really starting to make him think about war in a different
life. Second I will talk about how so many things happened that started to make him loose his faith
and doubt everything. And last I will talk about how the thought of death started to make him
make choices he didn't want to make, and they made him start seeing things that were not real.
When he was in battle people would die and it would start to make him think differently. They
would die and it would make him think why am I here and what am I doing. When he would
finish a battle and get back he would have to ask himself why am I doing this and what good will
this cause? When he was just in the middle of fighting he would wonder if this was necessity of
war to kill all of these people. When he was fighting he was confused because even when they won
the fight he still was being told to keep fighting....show more content...
Even there captain started to doubt his faith. They could not fathom the way people were killing
each other but it was still happening and there was nothing they could do. When they were
interrogating people sometimes they had to torcher them. The ways he had to do it were terrible, he
didn't know if god would still love him after what he has done. They were close to becoming atheist
at the end of the book because they couldn't think what god would stand by and watch what was
happening and do nothing about

Catch 22 Themes
In Joseph Heller's satirical novel Catch–22, Yossorian, an American bombardier soldier in World War
II, is stationed on an island off the coast of Italy with his fellow comrades. Everyone there is
frustrated and upset as most of them have completed the amount of missions that are needed to be
sent back home, but catch–22 is a "law" that is interpreted different ways throughout the book that
ultimately is there to keep soldiers from going on leave. The war gradually takes a severe toll on
Yossorian, especially when his friend Nately is killed in combat. After this, Yossorian refuses to fly
anymore missions and gets caught in Rome illegally. With this, the officers over Yossorian give him
two choices: be court–martialed or receive an honorable discharge by voicing his approval of
raising the amount of missions to eighty before a soldier can be sent home. Yossorian, however, had
other plans as he decides to get away from the catch–22 once and for all by escaping to neutral
country of Sweden to take control of his life once again. There are many different elements that
Joseph Heller utilizes to portray the horrors of war such as the characterization of Yossorian, the
characterization of Milo Minderbinder, and the theme of the absurdity of war presented throughout
the novel. Unlike many other characters in the book, Yossorian is characterized as a realist who
sees all the horrors of the war when many others cannot. This is portrayed in a conversation between
Clevinger and

Catch 22 Character Analysis
John Yossarian, the protagonist of Catch–22, is an important character since helps the reader makes
sense of the ludricious bureaucracy in power. More times than not, Yossarian serves as the voice of
reason, attempting to correct his fellow soldiers' irrational ideas. In addition, he is non–complacent,
often questioning his officers and poking holes in their logic. Heller uses Yossarianfor this role to
highlight the flaws of the military, such as their shoddy reasoning and lack of empathy for their
soldiers. Despite being one of the more sane soldiers, Yossarian wishes to leave the military more
than anything else. He finds the war dangerous and a risk for his own sake. Moreover, this stresses
another theme in the novel, survival instincts are first and foremost drives of humans. At the end of
the day, no matter how kind and thoughtful one, they will always look at out for their best interest
first. However, near the end of the novel, Yossarian breaks his mold when he stays loyal to his
squadron. When offered the choice to leave the military in turn for abandoning the men in his
squadron, he vehemently refuses. This shows while humans may be capable of great lengths of
selfishness, they are also capable of good
Doc Daneeka, partially like Yossarian, represents the selfishness of humanity. Despite being a
doctor, Daneeka only ever worries about his own health, ignoring his own patients. He even neglects
his duty as flight surgeon and only pretends to be logged on the plane

Catch 22 Essay

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

More from Cheap Paper Writing Services

More from Cheap Paper Writing Services (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Catch 22 Essay