Catch-22 Theme
Taylor Goldhahn
“But there was a catch…. Catch-22.” On the small island of Pianosa, just south of Elba, an American bombardier squadron was going insane. Throughout the novel, Joseph Heller describes this squadron through the eyes of one of its own, Yossarian. Heller uses symbolism, chaotic perspective, and morbid imagery to show the effects of war on these soldiers.
Heller uses the soldiers of the squadron and locations that these soldiers visit as his symbols to show the effects of war on these soldiers. The first symbol of the novel is the hospital. The story starts off with Yossarian being in the hospital. Throughout the story, Yossarian is in the hospital multiple times, some for real injuries and medical issues, others for a fake liver disease. Since Yossarian fears death through the novel, he is constantly trying to get back to the hospital to get out of flying his missions. He doesn’t feel threatened in the hospital, he actually meets people that he feel comfortable with. He meets the chaplain and Nurse Duckett, both he falls in love with. The hospital is a symbol for a safe-haven from the war. Yossarian says that the hospital has learned to tame death so men can die with dignity. Though this is how Yossarian feels, it isn’t necessarily true, because the Soldier in White, Yossarian pretending to be the dying son of the family that flew in to see their son one more time before he passed, and the censored letters show the absurdity the war is inflicting upon everyone involved. Another example is the scene where Yossarian describes Snowden dying in the back of the plane. He explains that he read Snowden’s “secret” in his intestines. This refers to the ancient Roman practice of sacrificing animals and “reading” prophecies from the intestines. Thus, Snowmen’s death symbolizes the dehumanized look on men involved in the war. Essentially, this scene portrays Snowden as a sacrificed animal. By doing so, Heller has shown that war has affected the soldiers by
“But there was a catch…. Catch-22.” On the small island of Pianosa, just south of Elba, an American bombardier squadron was going insane. Throughout the novel, Joseph Heller describes this squadron through the eyes of one of its own, Yossarian. Heller uses symbolism, chaotic perspective, and morbid imagery to show the effects of war on these soldiers.
Heller uses the soldiers of the squadron and locations that these soldiers visit as his symbols to show the effects of war on these soldiers. The first symbol of the novel is the hospital. The story starts off with Yossarian being in the hospital. Throughout the story, Yossarian is in the hospital multiple times, some for real injuries and medical issues, others for a fake liver disease. Since Yossarian fears death through the novel, he is constantly trying to get back to the hospital to get out of flying his missions. He doesn’t feel threatened in the hospital, he actually meets people that he feel comfortable with. He meets the chaplain and Nurse Duckett, both he falls in love with. The hospital is a symbol for a safe-haven from the war. Yossarian says that the hospital has learned to tame death so men can die with dignity. Though this is how Yossarian feels, it isn’t necessarily true, because the Soldier in White, Yossarian pretending to be the dying son of the family that flew in to see their son one more time before he passed, and the censored letters show the absurdity the war is inflicting upon everyone involved. Another example is the scene where Yossarian describes Snowden dying in the back of the plane. He explains that he read Snowden’s “secret” in his intestines. This refers to the ancient Roman practice of sacrificing animals and “reading” prophecies from the intestines. Thus, Snowmen’s death symbolizes the dehumanized look on men involved in the war. Essentially, this scene portrays Snowden as a sacrificed animal. By doing so, Heller has shown that war has affected the soldiers by