Catch 22 Satire
1. Introduction
Catch-22 is Joseph Heller’s 1961 fictionalized WWII war narrative concerned with physical survival against exterior forces and institutions that want to destroy life and the moral self. Heller’s book’s relevance comes from its symbolic meaning outside of the warzone expressed through a sort of comical anarchy. Satire and dark humor expose the absurdities of bureaucracy and the systems put in place to help the general welfare of the public. Catch-22’s message and themes of personal integrity and greed have been applicable in societies past and present and will continue to be relevant for as long as the story is remembered.
1.1 Synopsis Catch-22 follows the nonlinear happenings of Air Force bombardier Captain John Yossarian and his B-52 squadron during the second half of World War II. Even though the story is told from a third person point of view, Heller tells the majority of the narrative from Yossarians personal perspective of the war and is driven by his idea that everyone is out to kill him (). The only way to protect his life is to declare insanity and fake a liver disease, but, because of the standing catch-22, he is unable to to get out of duty. As explained by the hospital warden, Doc Daneeka, “Catch-22-- anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn’t really …show more content…
Public reviews poured in and were in favor of Heller’s writing. The anti-war story picked up steam with the escalation of fighting in Vietnam and decreased satisfaction with the government’s foreign policy. The protests of the 1960s was the perfect time for Catch-22 and its publishing before the escalation seemed to be ahead of its time, causing people to look at the novel as a premonition for what was to come. The younger generation had extreme sediment towards war, so the cynicism of the novel was pared with their anti-war mindset and resonated with
Catch-22 is Joseph Heller’s 1961 fictionalized WWII war narrative concerned with physical survival against exterior forces and institutions that want to destroy life and the moral self. Heller’s book’s relevance comes from its symbolic meaning outside of the warzone expressed through a sort of comical anarchy. Satire and dark humor expose the absurdities of bureaucracy and the systems put in place to help the general welfare of the public. Catch-22’s message and themes of personal integrity and greed have been applicable in societies past and present and will continue to be relevant for as long as the story is remembered.
1.1 Synopsis Catch-22 follows the nonlinear happenings of Air Force bombardier Captain John Yossarian and his B-52 squadron during the second half of World War II. Even though the story is told from a third person point of view, Heller tells the majority of the narrative from Yossarians personal perspective of the war and is driven by his idea that everyone is out to kill him (). The only way to protect his life is to declare insanity and fake a liver disease, but, because of the standing catch-22, he is unable to to get out of duty. As explained by the hospital warden, Doc Daneeka, “Catch-22-- anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn’t really …show more content…
Public reviews poured in and were in favor of Heller’s writing. The anti-war story picked up steam with the escalation of fighting in Vietnam and decreased satisfaction with the government’s foreign policy. The protests of the 1960s was the perfect time for Catch-22 and its publishing before the escalation seemed to be ahead of its time, causing people to look at the novel as a premonition for what was to come. The younger generation had extreme sediment towards war, so the cynicism of the novel was pared with their anti-war mindset and resonated with