Essay Sample on Catch 22: Joseph Heller's Satirical War Novel

Introduction

Catch 22 is as established by Shackelford (n.p), a novel by Joseph Heller, which was first published on November 10, 1961. Joseph Heller was a popular author of short stories, plays, novels, and screenplays in the US (Seaman, 21). The novel revolves around instances of war and the role played by soldiers in fighting for the US. Satirical aspects are included to make it more interesting. The background of Joseph Heller can be understood by exploring his place of birth, upbringing, and life experiences that influenced him to write the novel discussed in this study.

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Joseph Heller was born on May 1, 1923, in Coney Island, New York, and played a crucial role in the military and authorship before his death on December 12, 1999 (Seaman, 21). His military experiences are depicted in the novel as part of what influenced him to write it. Seaman provides social aspects of Heller's life. For instance, he was born in a humble background and that is considered one of the reasons he wrote his literary works with the perception of people enriching themselves (24). Heller's father died when undergoing a surgical operation, and it is believed that the humble upbringing, coupled with military experiences, contributed to his engagements in writing. Heller graduated from high school in 1941. As established by Shackelford (n.p), in 1942, Heller joined the Army Air Corps after having worked as an insurance officer for a while. The period was characterized by the Second World War, which lasted from 1939 to 1945. The occurrences of the Second World War must have exposed Heller to a lot of mental and physical experiences that developed his creativity. His use of imagery could have developed during the period because he felt the need to tell a story without disclosing personal and military secrets.

Critical Analysis and Synopsis

Symbolism as the Main Element

Garrett noted that Catch 22 is a satirical novel that revolves around Captain John Yossarian as a significant character and an American bombardier involved in the Second World War (394). Symbolism is a default element that Heller uses throughout the novel to depict how events unfolded in the military. The bureaucracy is common in the military, and junior officers are usually the ones to pay the ultimate price. Heller wonders why war should be entertained by society as the best approach to solving differences through the characters that die during the war. The anguish of the civilians is portrayed when businesses are closed, and prostitutes are mishandled. Yossarian is used portrayed as a protagonist who seeks fair treatment by the government and his seniors in the military. The military is led through orders, and the senior soldiers have to be obeyed without questions. However, Yossarian finds the situation unbearable and thinks that the seniors in the military are targeting to have him killed by sending him to dangerous missions that expose his life to risk. As a result, he spends the best part of his life during the war strategizing on tactics to escape the missions. Catch 22 provides mysterious soldiers' regulations that are based on the understanding that a person can be declared insane if he is willing to venture into highly dangerous missions without resistance. I agree with the assertions that Yossarian is used as imagery to portray how power is distorted in life.

The novel follows a series of chronological events with flashbacks to provide the audience with a good flow of the plot. According to Heller (n.p), Yossarian is noted to be involved in combat within the Mediterranean island most of the cases under the leadership of Colonel Cathcart. The problem with the former is that the latter has been increasing the number of missions to be accomplished to facilitate promotion due to his ambition. However, Yossarian is not comfortable with the arrangement, and he sees it as a deliberate way of having him killed. As time progresses, Yossarian gets promoted to become a Captain because of his successful accomplishment of the mission. Imagery is used when Orr is presented as a soldier who always crashes his plane. Fortunately, he survives in all occurrences. Some people are lucky in life and use tactics to overcome oppression and their fears against those in authority. Milo Mindler is a greedy mess officer who gets involved in food syndicate and incorporates enemy Germans. In the process, Nudd is killed. More essential characters include Hungry Joe and Doc Daneeka. The former usually have nightmares when he is not on duty. I agree that imagery is used to develop the characters in the novel and showcase what happens in real life.

The Theme of War and Bureaucracy

War and bureaucracy represent a vital theme that cannot be ignored in this study. The countries are involved in the war, fighting for resources. The soldiers are governed using bureaucratic tactics that do not serve their interests of protection. The catch rule is imposed in various instances to showcase a government law that has not been enacted. Yossarian is commanded to follow bureaucratic rules and support his superiors as they break the basic policies followed during the war. He is threatened to be framed if he does not follow the order and support his seniors. Businesses are closed down, and prostitutes are mistreated by the officers who claim to impose a government law. However, Yossarian is aware there is no catch rule, and the senior soldiers are only taking advantage of the situation to benefit them.

The Theme of Survival and Death

Survival and death remain a central theme that should be explored in the novel. Yossarian is afraid that he might lose his life in the war because his superiors are only concerned about their survival and promotion during the war. Yossarian employs deception to try and convince his superiors he is insane to be sent home for survival. In war, casualties are the norm, and the situation presented in the novel is not different. Various good soldiers die as they fight for their country. Some of the soldiers run away from the warzone using deceptive measures for survival.

The Theme of Morals and Greed

Milo Mindler is portrayed as an immoral and greedy soldier who engages in a syndicate with enemy Germans. The greedy aspect of soldiers during the war is something that could happen depending on arrangements among soldiers. However, it is essential to note that the military authority depicted to be rough in the novel is misguided. For instance, military officers are governed by strict rules and regulations that require one to follow orders for the benefit of executing the set goal. Prostitution is portrayed as an immoral business done in the towns. Soldiers are immoral when they start harassing citizens including prostitutes operating in the surrounding. The senior soldiers go to the extent of increasing the number of missions to gain favor in their leaders and get promoted.

Personal Evaluation of other Scholars Views

Many scholars have criticized the novel due to its setting and exploration of the occurrences during the Second World War. As noted by Vosevich (92), it is not clear to say whether Yossarian represents a hero or an anti-hero who is determined to survive. I agree with Vosevich because it is not clear whether Yossarian is just a selfish coward in service or a patriot who serves his country. Some of the instances show that Yossarian acts for self-interests without considering the majority, while in others, he protects the people he cares about. The novel does not display the actual happenings that were witnessed during the war. The author fails to show the seriousness that was witnessed during the war and the massive deaths of the people involved. The inclusion of funny episodes in the novel is entertaining. However, the war had no funny events due to the losses of property and the lives involved.

Analysis of Author's Style

Symbolism

Recurring literary elements are evident throughout the novel. Heller presents various styles of writing to pass the satirical piece to the audience. The styles applied in the novel are many. However, this study has primarily focused on how Heller utilizes imagery to portray how war and bureaucracy, death and survival, and greed occur in society. Heller has succeeded in depicting the events that occur during the war without mentioning any real soldiers and the challenges of the Second World War. However, certain pieces of humor have been included to make the novel satirical, interesting, and provoking the leadership in the military. According to Vosevich (93), Catch 22 is presented as an antiwar novel. Heller indirectly rebukes the government and senior military officers for engaging in war by the use of symbolism. He tries to showcase that nations do not have to hurt one another to agree on issues.

Narration

Heller utilizes narration by providing an overview of what occurred during the war (Garrett 392). The characters are used to communicate and portray a true picture of the aspects that affect them during the war. Dialogue among the characters depicts a style that Heller has used to provide a clear version of engagement and activities that develop the plot. For instance, the characters communicate about various disagreeing and agreeing events. The literary devices used are crucial in providing good narration in a novel.

Allusion

The use of allusion has helped Heller in invoking the mind of the audience to understand what is happening throughout the plot. For instance, the information that a soldier is involved in syndicate with an enemy portrays betrayal and greed. Heller seeks to use an indirect means of showcasing how some people bestowed with high responsibility in society misuse it and risk the lives of the majority.

Diction

Diction has been used in the novel to portray informal language that the author utilizes to express himself. Heller does not provide chronological events that were witnessed during the Second World War. Instead, he stylistically uses imaginary characters and includes making the novel interesting to the readers. As a result, the readers can compare the events that happen in life with what is analyzed in the novel to understand how power is misused, and people in low positions in society suffer.

Imagery

Imagery is depicted throughout the novel. The author provides the audience with an opportunity to visualize the occurrences involved as soldiers are bombing various areas of the enemy. Also, the instances where Yossarian pretends to be insane can be visually noted to develop the novel and how soldiers are fairing among one another. Various scenes of death provide a visual analysis of the sufferings and seriousness of the war. The author seeks to warn countries against engaging in a war to solve differences because it is not the best approach.

The setting of the novel is the Mediterranean island of Pianosa, a crucial area that depicts how the Second World War was in 1944 before it came to an end (Garrett 392).

Suspense

The use of suspense allows the audience to continue reading the novel to understand what will happen next. The conflicts provided among nations are crucial for developing the plot. However, various instances do not agree with the actual world war due to the inclusions of the comic in making the novel more entertaining. The author creatively provides characters with different intentions during the war to portray social decay and bravery differently but does not indicate what happens to them in the end.

Conclusion

The focus of this study was to analyze Catch 22, a novel written by Joseph Heller, explores a series of events that transpired during the Second World War. The study is classified into three sections. The first one involves the exploration of Heller's life, friends, and the period that led to the writing of th...