Satire In Catch 22

Aldridge, John W. "THE LOONY HORROR OF IT ALL- 'CATCH-22' TURNS 25." The New York Times ON THE WEB. 26 Oct. 1986. Web. 5 Mar. 2016. .
Aldridge’s essential claim in this article is that even 25 years after publication, Catch 22 has remained relevant and ubiquitous due to its many revelations that come only after reading. One of Aldridge’s main points in this article is that while Catch-22 is known for its satire, it ultimately ends with a realization of the terrors war encompasses. Aldridge makes such an eloquent statement that sums his exclamation up, “as the comedy is finally neutralized by the weightier force of terror and death, the fateful ubiquity of Catch-22 finally eclipses all demands for logic and sanity”. Aldridge ends his article discussing how after 25 years, Catch-22 is a novel that reminds us how much we not only take for granted, but also the madness we ignore in each of our daily lives. In
conclusion, Aldridge’s eloquent writing about the relevancy and omnipresence of Catch-22 lends this article to be extremely useful.
Dickstein, Morris. "The Catch in “Catch-22”." The Daily Beast. 4 Sept. 2011. Web. 5 Mar. 2016. .
Dickstein’s main focus in the article is how even after 50 years since Catch-22’s creation, we have not escaped the novel’s message.
Dickstein repeatedly calls attention to the cynicism and madness presented in the novel and how it has and continues to impact the world. Dickstein uses the prototypical college undergraduate, selfish soldiers, and even American presidents all as examples of cynicism. Dickstein specifically uses John F. Kennedy’s famous quote “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” as his main example. Dickstein eloquently sums his claims up towards the end of his article when he states, “But subsequent history from Vietnam to Watergate, from Nixon’s lies to Bush’s wars, dimmed youthful idealism, stoked disenchantment, and turned peaceful protest into cynicism and rage. Kennedy had a vision; Catch-22 had legs. The state of the world conspired to keep it in play.” In conclusion, Dickstein’s claims are well supported and extremely thorough, which lends this article to be exceedingly useful and
credible.
Najarian, Jennifer. "Heller, Joseph ." Penn State , 2005. Web. 3 Mar. 2016. .
Najarian provides readers with a plethora of insight to Joseph Heller’s life. Najarian speaks a great deal about Heller’s accomplishments and how Heller’s own experiences influenced his writings, not only Catch-22. Additionally, Najarian provides readers with a great deal of background information on his parents, which Najarian believes influenced his writing as well. This article is incredibly useful due to all the facts that will be used when writing the final essay. In conclusion, Najarian’s article validates Heller lived quite a successful life.
Neary, Lynn. "'Catch-22': A Paradox Turns 50 And Still Rings True." NPR Books. 13 Oct. 2011. Web. 5 Mar. 2016. .
Neary’s focus in the article is that Catch-22’s paradox has remained relevant because it is applicable to everyone, especially members of war. Neary uses antiwar protestors as an example of the people that have caused Catch-22’s relevancy to remain true. Neary states, “The young people who took to the streets to protest the war embraced Catch-22. Heller may have based the novel on his own experiences in World War II, but the voice that emerged captured the tone of a new generation that had lost respect for authority and refused to take anything at face value”. Neary’s next essential claim is how Catch-22 impacted soldiers, especially those fighting in the Vietnam War. Neary states that Catch-22 resonated with Vietnam soldiers because like Yossarian, they were drafted and did not choose to be there and for the most part, they did not want to be there either. In conclusion, Neary brings to light two strong reasons why Catch-22 has remained relevant and due to her well-supported examples, this is a sound and credible source.
Smith, Roger H. "CATCH-22." Daedalus. 7 May 1963. Web. 5 Mar. 2016. .
Smith’s claims in the article are that Catch-22 is not only an immoral novel, but it is also one with a weak plot. Smith’s reasoning for the novel having a subpar plot is that he claims, “There are no characters. The puppets are given funny names and features, but cannot be visualized or distinguished from one another except by association with their prototypes”. By prototypes, Smith goes on to write about how each character falls directly in line with a cliché; feeble chaplains, doctors who are hypochondriacs, and boring Texans. Smith states, “The copying of every available stereotype, and the failure to find in the whole range of humanity anything new to draw illustrates the author’s indifference to people. We can see no one because he has seen no one”. Smith’s main support for supporting his claim that the novel is immoral is the numerous instances in which adultery, betrayal, and violence occur. Smith states,” Indulgence emerges as a new ideal, with so cleanly a thing as sexuality consistently dirtied by association with ideas of violence, prowess, and divorce from ideas of procreation and tenderness”. In conclusion, I wanted to find a source that conflicted with Catch-22 and while this article certainly disagrees, it is highly opinionated with lackluster support. Therefore, while this article could be useful, it is not credible.
"The Year 1961 From The People History." The People History , 2005. Web. 3 Mar. 2016. .
1961 was an extremely eventful year. This article has a plethora of information of what all occurred during 1961.The major news stories included Yuri Gagarin becoming the first human in space, the US Cuban Exiles and the CIA organized an unsuccessful attempt to overthrow Castro, which later became known as the Bay of Pigs, and the construction of the Berlin Wall began. In 1961, a gallon of gas was 27 cents while the average cost of a new car was $2,850.00. Other events during 1961 were President John F. Kennedy’s inauguration, the creation of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), and the group later given the label of “Freedom Riders” go up against the U.S. Supreme Court decision Boynton v. Virginia by riding racially integrated interstate buses into the South. With all these facts, Joseph Heller certainly had quite the noise to block out while writing Catch-22. In conclusion, 1961 was a significant year in history that produced many historic moments and this is an incredibly useful and credible source that gives one insight into the world in which Heller lived in.
"World War II History ." History.com. A+E Networks, 2005. Web. 3 Mar. 2016. .
While Catch-22’s setting is set on the fictitious island of Pianosa, Heller places this island off of the coast of Italy during 1944. Pianosa serves as base camp for the American bombardiers fighting Germany. Heller places Pianosa right in the heart of the battle of World War II. This monumental war began with Hitler, Germany’s dictator, invading Poland, which caused Britain and France to intervene. Subsequently, Germany recruited Italy and Japan, two global powers, to join their forces in hopes of world domination. Japan’s involvement created a war in the Pacific beginning with Japan’s bombing on the U.S. Navy base at Pearl Harbor. After several more battles, the war in the pacific reached its climax and ultimately its conclusion when American forces dropped two atomic bombs on the Japanese cities Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These two major cities are still suffering from the massive bombing. On the other side of the world, Germany began its invasion of the USSR. To their surprise and after two years of hard winters, Germany failed and while they were weak, American and British forces stormed the wharfs of Normandy and defeated the German army, while Hitler committed suicide to escape imprisonment. I believe it necessary to sum up WWII because not only was Joseph Heller a bombardier during WWII, he also lived well long after to see the impact it truly had. In conclusion, WWII was a turning point in the global power system and this is an extremely useful and credible source due to its insight in giving us the context needed to somewhat understand Heller’s baggage.
Young, Robert M. "DEADLY UNCONSCIOUS LOGICS IN JOSEPH HELLER’S CATCH-22." Human Nature. 13 Oct. 2011. Web. 5 Mar. 2016. .
Young’s essential claim in this piece is that all the characters in Catch-22 fall victim to immoral logic. However, the a few of the main characters Yossarian, the Chaplain, and Major Danby retain some ability to think and try to live out decent values. Young discusses how each of the other characters fall victim to immoral logic; for example, Colonel Cathcart. Colonel Cathcart’s orders are to lead missions to victory, but instead he focuses on getting his name in the paper and impressing his superiors, even at the cost of raising the number of missions each member has to fly. Young makes it a point that Cathcart’s unethical aspirations along with the other character’s immoral logic serves as a foil for the characters who are able to retain some ability to think and try to live out decent values. Nevertheless, serving as a foil does not necessarily imply it is beneficial for the receiving end, and Yossarian’s lunacy proves this. In conclusion, Young’s piece is a unique perspective on the immoral logic encompassed in Catch-22 and while it is highly opinionated, it still lends itself to be a strong and credible source due to his well-supported claims.