Catch 22 Analysis Essay
Fiction Analysis of Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Setting: A. Time period – World War II (1939-1945) B. Place – Pianosa, a small island off the coast of Italy C. Time Sequence – Most of Catch-22 is told out of sequence, with events from the past mixed in with events from the present. However, the book settles into a more chronological order as it approaches its end. D. Standards of Behavior – The social expectations are supposed to be in accordance to military tradition. But, the characters do not always conform to expected social behaviors.
Characters:
Yossarian – The protagonist of the novel, Yossarian is a captain and a lead bombardier in his squadron. However, he hates the war, and his powerful desire to live leads …show more content…
him to the conclusion that millions of people are trying to kill him. Thus, his primary goal throughout the novel is to preserve his life. He makes endless attempts to save his skin from the perilous missions that he is committed to flying, but he is prevented of doing so by the paradoxical law called Catch-22. In the end, however, he runs away, not caring about the disgrace that may taint his reputation.
Chaplain Tappman – One of the most decent characters in the novel and a consistent friend to Yossarian. He is sincere, kind, and introspective. Although he is timid and full of doubts and fears, the chaplain grows into a much more assertive force near the end of the story.
Milo Minderbinder – A powerful mess officer, Milo controls an international black-market syndicate and is revered in obscure corners all over the world. He relentlessly chases after profit and bombs his own men as part of a contract with Germany. Milo insists that everyone in the squadron will benefit from being part of the syndicate and that “everyone has a share”. He also takes his job as mess officer very, very seriously; as a result, the troops in Yossarian's division eat better than any others. Colonel Cathcart – The officer in charge of Yossarian's squadron. He yearns to be a general, and he tries to impress his superiors by volunteering his men for dangerous combat duty whenever he gets the chance. He constantly increases the number of missions that his men must fly.
Lieutenant Colonel Korn – Colonel Cathcart’s clever yet sinister assistant. He is the one who articulates the “deal” to Yossarian.
Doc Daneeka – A medical officer who feels very sorry for himself because the war has interrupted his private practice in the United States. He is the first person to explain Catch-22 to Yossarian. Later in the novel, he is considered dead; and, no matter what he does, he is never able to convince anyone that he is alive.
Hungry Joe – A former photographer for Life magazine, Hungry Joe is obsessed with photographing naked women. He has horrible nightmares on nights when he is not scheduled to fly a combat mission the next morning. He also has a fear of being suffocated by his roommate’s cat. Ironically, he is killed by that same cat.
Lieutenant Nately – A good-natured nineteen-year-old boy, who falls in love with a whore in Rome. He generally tries to keep Yossarian from getting into trouble. Nately's whore – The whore with whom Nately falls in love with in Rome. After Yossarian breaks the news of Nately’s death to her, she attempts to kill him on several occasions.
McWatt – A pilot who delights in buzzing Yossarian’s tent as well as the bathers at the beach. He eventually kills Kid Sampson with his foolish antics.
Snowden – A squadron gunner who had died in Yossarian’s arms with his entrails splattered all over the floor of a plane. His death caused Yossarian to experience the shock of war and to witness the fragility of life.
Orr – He is a gifted fix-it man who is always constructing little improvements to the tent that he shares with Yossarian. On missions, he almost always has to ditch his plane. His successful arrival (desertion to) in Sweden rejuvenates Yossarian’s hope.
Major Major Major Major – Born Major Major Major, he is promoted to major on his first day in the army by a mischievous computer. Major Major is painfully awkward and will see people in his office only when he is not there.
General Peckem – The general in charge of special operations who plots incessantly to take over General Dreedle’s position.
General Dreedle – A grumpy old general In charge of the wing in which Yossarian’s squadron is placed. He is always accompanied by his son-in-law, Colonel Moodus, and an unnamed nurse.
Clevinger – An intellectual but foolish member of Yossarian’s squadron. He firmly believes in such concepts as country, duty, and loyalty. He conducts educational sessions, is interrogated by the Action Board, and dies on the Parma bomb run.
Conflicts:
Chaplain Tappman versus Corporal Whitcomb: Corporal Whitcomb is Chaplain Tappman’s antagonistic and atheistic assistant. He repeatedly criticizes the chaplain, listing his flaws contemptuously. He is responsible for the C.I.D. investigation of the chaplain.
Yossarian versus Nately’s whore: When Yossarian breaks the news of Nately’s death to Nately’s whore, she attacks him with a potato peeler and attempts to kill him. Fortunately, Yossarian escapes. Now, however, she follows him everywhere he goes, trying desperately to take a stab at him.
Captain Black versus Major Major Major Major – Captain Black lapses into a deep depression when Major Major is promoted to squadron commander. As a result, Captain Black tries to get revenge on Major Major by initiating the Glorious Loyalty Oath Crusade, during which he forces all the men to swear elaborate oaths of loyalty before doing basic things like eating meals. He then refuses to let Major Major sign a loyalty oath and hopes, thereby, to make him appear disloyal.
Colonel Cathcart versus Lieutenant Colonel Korn: Lieutenant Colonel Korn pretends to be Cathcart’s loyal, indispensable ally but secretly feels contempt for Cathcart and manipulates his commander.
General Peckem versus General Dreedle: Peckem plots incessantly to take over General Dreedle’s position. His rivalry with him takes up most of his time and energy, time and energy he should be spending on the war effort.
Yossarian versus Colonel Cathcart: Colonel Cathcart keeps raising the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service, denying Yossarian the privilege of going home. However, this does not stop Yossarian from attempting to excuse himself from such perilous missions.
Major Major Major Major versus bureaucratic forces: All his life, Major Major has been the victim of bureaucratic forces beyond his control – his birth certificate, the IBM machine – and he eventually turns on these forces by forging false names on official documents.
Enlisted men versus bureaucratic forces: The enlisted men are helpless against the illogic regulations that the military and higher levels of bureaucracy throw upon them (Catch-22 is a good example of such illogic bureaucratic regulations). As a result, the men feel powerless; their actions are guided by rules that have little to do with reality.
Bombardiers (enlisted men) versus flak: The main threat during bombing missions is always anti-aircraft fire (or flak).
Yossarian versus himself: Toward the end of the novel, Yossarian is stuck in the ultimate Catch-22: he can either return home while endorsing Colonel Cathcart and Lieutenant Colonel Korn, earning the scorn of the all the other enlisted men, or he can stay, keep what dignity he has left, and be court-martialed. He eventually escapes this predicament by making his own third option: running like hell.
Themes:
1. Communication is vital. ( Heller illustrates this theme from the very beginning of the book with the characters’ paradoxical banter. Without proper communication, conversations and situations can be very frustrating. The interrogation of Chaplain Tappman is a good example of this frustration.
2. The military is a messed-up operation. ( There are many conflicts and characters that provide great examples of how the military is a messed-up operation.
For instance, General Peckem’s rivalry with General Dreedle takes up most of his time and energy, time and energy he should be spending on the war effort. Another good example is Lieutenant Scheisskopf. Instead of training his military men for combat, he focuses all his attention on parades. It seems that no one is concerned with the larger implications of war.
3. Life is fragile. ( Throughout the entire novel the fragility of life is shown through the deaths of many of the members of Yossarian’s squadron. Mudd arrives on the base and is killed two hours later on his first mission; Snowden dies In Yossarian’s arms with his entrails splattered all over the floor of a plane; Kid Sampson is killed by McWatt in a ghastly accident; Clevinger disappears in cloud. A single gunshot can end a life; an incurable disease can end a life; flak can end a life. The message: life is breakable.
Point of view:
A. The story is told in third person omniscient.
B. The narrator, although seemingly to have neither a positive attitude nor a negative attitude toward the characters, always makes the reader aware of how outrageously bizarre the characters and situations
are.
Style: The diction of Catch-22 is very mature and sophisticated(excluding the cussing). From an educational standpoint, the diction throughout the novel is great for building vocabulary. In addition, the sentences are long and elaborately worded. However, the dialogue in the book is short, usually coming in quick bursts.
Plot Development: The climax occurs when Yossarian is arrested in Rome for not having a pass, for then he is taken to Colonel Cathcart and Lieutenant Colonel Korn. When he arrives, Lieutenant Colonel Korn articulates a “deal” with Yossarian, an ultimate Catch-22. This is when Yossarian must make his most important decision, one that will either earn him the scorn of his comrades or earn him praise.
Imagery: There are not many vividly descriptive passages in the novel. However, the passages that are descriptively detailed are the deaths of certain characters. For instance, Snowden’s death is full of imagery, allowing the reader to distinctly picture a man dying on the floor of a plane.
Symbolism: Not important.
Irony:
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller is full of irony. From the paradoxical banter between characters to the exaggerated events, irony is a notable literary technique seen throughout the book.
- “The Texan turned out to be good-natured, generous, and likable. In three days no one could stand him.”
- “…strangers he didn’t know shot at him with cannons every time he flew up into the air to drop bombs on them, and it wasn’t funny at all.”
- During war, all that matters to the generals is getting a promotion; all that matters to the enlisted men is staying alive. No one is concerned with the larger implications of war.
- Catch-22 ( a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes the necessary formal request to be relieved of such missions, the very act of making the request proves that he is sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.
- Hungry Joe pretends to be an important Life magazine photographer – ironically, he really was a photographer for Life before the war.
- Yossarian is given a medal for his foolhardiness.
- Late one night in Rome, Yossarian returns to his apartment to find that Aarfy raped and killed a girl by the name of Michaela. Yossarian, outraged, begins to yell at Aarfy, asking him what the hell he was thinking. Suddenly the military police burst into the apartment, apologize to Aarfy for intruding, and arrest Yossarian for being in Rome without a pass.
- The death of Hungry Joe by Huple’s cat.
Foreshadowing: Not important.
Allusions: Not important.
Setting: A. Time period – World War II (1939-1945) B. Place – Pianosa, a small island off the coast of Italy C. Time Sequence – Most of Catch-22 is told out of sequence, with events from the past mixed in with events from the present. However, the book settles into a more chronological order as it approaches its end. D. Standards of Behavior – The social expectations are supposed to be in accordance to military tradition. But, the characters do not always conform to expected social behaviors.
Characters:
Yossarian – The protagonist of the novel, Yossarian is a captain and a lead bombardier in his squadron. However, he hates the war, and his powerful desire to live leads …show more content…
him to the conclusion that millions of people are trying to kill him. Thus, his primary goal throughout the novel is to preserve his life. He makes endless attempts to save his skin from the perilous missions that he is committed to flying, but he is prevented of doing so by the paradoxical law called Catch-22. In the end, however, he runs away, not caring about the disgrace that may taint his reputation.
Chaplain Tappman – One of the most decent characters in the novel and a consistent friend to Yossarian. He is sincere, kind, and introspective. Although he is timid and full of doubts and fears, the chaplain grows into a much more assertive force near the end of the story.
Milo Minderbinder – A powerful mess officer, Milo controls an international black-market syndicate and is revered in obscure corners all over the world. He relentlessly chases after profit and bombs his own men as part of a contract with Germany. Milo insists that everyone in the squadron will benefit from being part of the syndicate and that “everyone has a share”. He also takes his job as mess officer very, very seriously; as a result, the troops in Yossarian's division eat better than any others. Colonel Cathcart – The officer in charge of Yossarian's squadron. He yearns to be a general, and he tries to impress his superiors by volunteering his men for dangerous combat duty whenever he gets the chance. He constantly increases the number of missions that his men must fly.
Lieutenant Colonel Korn – Colonel Cathcart’s clever yet sinister assistant. He is the one who articulates the “deal” to Yossarian.
Doc Daneeka – A medical officer who feels very sorry for himself because the war has interrupted his private practice in the United States. He is the first person to explain Catch-22 to Yossarian. Later in the novel, he is considered dead; and, no matter what he does, he is never able to convince anyone that he is alive.
Hungry Joe – A former photographer for Life magazine, Hungry Joe is obsessed with photographing naked women. He has horrible nightmares on nights when he is not scheduled to fly a combat mission the next morning. He also has a fear of being suffocated by his roommate’s cat. Ironically, he is killed by that same cat.
Lieutenant Nately – A good-natured nineteen-year-old boy, who falls in love with a whore in Rome. He generally tries to keep Yossarian from getting into trouble. Nately's whore – The whore with whom Nately falls in love with in Rome. After Yossarian breaks the news of Nately’s death to her, she attempts to kill him on several occasions.
McWatt – A pilot who delights in buzzing Yossarian’s tent as well as the bathers at the beach. He eventually kills Kid Sampson with his foolish antics.
Snowden – A squadron gunner who had died in Yossarian’s arms with his entrails splattered all over the floor of a plane. His death caused Yossarian to experience the shock of war and to witness the fragility of life.
Orr – He is a gifted fix-it man who is always constructing little improvements to the tent that he shares with Yossarian. On missions, he almost always has to ditch his plane. His successful arrival (desertion to) in Sweden rejuvenates Yossarian’s hope.
Major Major Major Major – Born Major Major Major, he is promoted to major on his first day in the army by a mischievous computer. Major Major is painfully awkward and will see people in his office only when he is not there.
General Peckem – The general in charge of special operations who plots incessantly to take over General Dreedle’s position.
General Dreedle – A grumpy old general In charge of the wing in which Yossarian’s squadron is placed. He is always accompanied by his son-in-law, Colonel Moodus, and an unnamed nurse.
Clevinger – An intellectual but foolish member of Yossarian’s squadron. He firmly believes in such concepts as country, duty, and loyalty. He conducts educational sessions, is interrogated by the Action Board, and dies on the Parma bomb run.
Conflicts:
Chaplain Tappman versus Corporal Whitcomb: Corporal Whitcomb is Chaplain Tappman’s antagonistic and atheistic assistant. He repeatedly criticizes the chaplain, listing his flaws contemptuously. He is responsible for the C.I.D. investigation of the chaplain.
Yossarian versus Nately’s whore: When Yossarian breaks the news of Nately’s death to Nately’s whore, she attacks him with a potato peeler and attempts to kill him. Fortunately, Yossarian escapes. Now, however, she follows him everywhere he goes, trying desperately to take a stab at him.
Captain Black versus Major Major Major Major – Captain Black lapses into a deep depression when Major Major is promoted to squadron commander. As a result, Captain Black tries to get revenge on Major Major by initiating the Glorious Loyalty Oath Crusade, during which he forces all the men to swear elaborate oaths of loyalty before doing basic things like eating meals. He then refuses to let Major Major sign a loyalty oath and hopes, thereby, to make him appear disloyal.
Colonel Cathcart versus Lieutenant Colonel Korn: Lieutenant Colonel Korn pretends to be Cathcart’s loyal, indispensable ally but secretly feels contempt for Cathcart and manipulates his commander.
General Peckem versus General Dreedle: Peckem plots incessantly to take over General Dreedle’s position. His rivalry with him takes up most of his time and energy, time and energy he should be spending on the war effort.
Yossarian versus Colonel Cathcart: Colonel Cathcart keeps raising the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service, denying Yossarian the privilege of going home. However, this does not stop Yossarian from attempting to excuse himself from such perilous missions.
Major Major Major Major versus bureaucratic forces: All his life, Major Major has been the victim of bureaucratic forces beyond his control – his birth certificate, the IBM machine – and he eventually turns on these forces by forging false names on official documents.
Enlisted men versus bureaucratic forces: The enlisted men are helpless against the illogic regulations that the military and higher levels of bureaucracy throw upon them (Catch-22 is a good example of such illogic bureaucratic regulations). As a result, the men feel powerless; their actions are guided by rules that have little to do with reality.
Bombardiers (enlisted men) versus flak: The main threat during bombing missions is always anti-aircraft fire (or flak).
Yossarian versus himself: Toward the end of the novel, Yossarian is stuck in the ultimate Catch-22: he can either return home while endorsing Colonel Cathcart and Lieutenant Colonel Korn, earning the scorn of the all the other enlisted men, or he can stay, keep what dignity he has left, and be court-martialed. He eventually escapes this predicament by making his own third option: running like hell.
Themes:
1. Communication is vital. ( Heller illustrates this theme from the very beginning of the book with the characters’ paradoxical banter. Without proper communication, conversations and situations can be very frustrating. The interrogation of Chaplain Tappman is a good example of this frustration.
2. The military is a messed-up operation. ( There are many conflicts and characters that provide great examples of how the military is a messed-up operation.
For instance, General Peckem’s rivalry with General Dreedle takes up most of his time and energy, time and energy he should be spending on the war effort. Another good example is Lieutenant Scheisskopf. Instead of training his military men for combat, he focuses all his attention on parades. It seems that no one is concerned with the larger implications of war.
3. Life is fragile. ( Throughout the entire novel the fragility of life is shown through the deaths of many of the members of Yossarian’s squadron. Mudd arrives on the base and is killed two hours later on his first mission; Snowden dies In Yossarian’s arms with his entrails splattered all over the floor of a plane; Kid Sampson is killed by McWatt in a ghastly accident; Clevinger disappears in cloud. A single gunshot can end a life; an incurable disease can end a life; flak can end a life. The message: life is breakable.
Point of view:
A. The story is told in third person omniscient.
B. The narrator, although seemingly to have neither a positive attitude nor a negative attitude toward the characters, always makes the reader aware of how outrageously bizarre the characters and situations
are.
Style: The diction of Catch-22 is very mature and sophisticated(excluding the cussing). From an educational standpoint, the diction throughout the novel is great for building vocabulary. In addition, the sentences are long and elaborately worded. However, the dialogue in the book is short, usually coming in quick bursts.
Plot Development: The climax occurs when Yossarian is arrested in Rome for not having a pass, for then he is taken to Colonel Cathcart and Lieutenant Colonel Korn. When he arrives, Lieutenant Colonel Korn articulates a “deal” with Yossarian, an ultimate Catch-22. This is when Yossarian must make his most important decision, one that will either earn him the scorn of his comrades or earn him praise.
Imagery: There are not many vividly descriptive passages in the novel. However, the passages that are descriptively detailed are the deaths of certain characters. For instance, Snowden’s death is full of imagery, allowing the reader to distinctly picture a man dying on the floor of a plane.
Symbolism: Not important.
Irony:
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller is full of irony. From the paradoxical banter between characters to the exaggerated events, irony is a notable literary technique seen throughout the book.
- “The Texan turned out to be good-natured, generous, and likable. In three days no one could stand him.”
- “…strangers he didn’t know shot at him with cannons every time he flew up into the air to drop bombs on them, and it wasn’t funny at all.”
- During war, all that matters to the generals is getting a promotion; all that matters to the enlisted men is staying alive. No one is concerned with the larger implications of war.
- Catch-22 ( a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes the necessary formal request to be relieved of such missions, the very act of making the request proves that he is sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.
- Hungry Joe pretends to be an important Life magazine photographer – ironically, he really was a photographer for Life before the war.
- Yossarian is given a medal for his foolhardiness.
- Late one night in Rome, Yossarian returns to his apartment to find that Aarfy raped and killed a girl by the name of Michaela. Yossarian, outraged, begins to yell at Aarfy, asking him what the hell he was thinking. Suddenly the military police burst into the apartment, apologize to Aarfy for intruding, and arrest Yossarian for being in Rome without a pass.
- The death of Hungry Joe by Huple’s cat.
Foreshadowing: Not important.
Allusions: Not important.