"Catch 22"

Paper Summary:

The paper examines how, in "Catch 22", Joseph Heller chronicles the pointlessness and ultimate dehumanization of war. While stationed in the fictional Mediterranean island of Pianosa, Air Force soldier John Yossarian participates in several brutal and dangerous operations, where his men give their lives not for their country, but to obtain good aerial pictures of the exploding targets. The paper explains that, disgusted that his life is constantly in danger for nothing, Yossarian vows to survive this pointless war at all costs. He thus spends much of his time faking illness and devising ways to be sent home. The paper also touches on the circular pattern of the novel and gives examples of where they occur.

From the Paper:

"Several instances of the circularity of Catch 22 reasoning are found through the struggles of a number of secondary characters. Chaplain Tapmann, for example, struggles to maintain his belief in a just and loving God, despite all indications otherwise. Around him, people die for no reason, and he witnesses how religion -- like war -- is used to further the agendas of officers. Eventually, the chaplain is forced to give up his principles and lie by faking an illness to escape from being beaten. Though he is a man of God, the chaplain nevertheless finds that the results are "wonderful." In a parody of Genesis, Heller writes, "The chaplain had sinned, and it was good.""

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