What can be said regarding Joseph Heller’s Catch-22? Well, It’s incredible to say the least. It is by far the most engaging fiction book about the Second World War that I have read, simply because it uses “dark satire” and because the characters of the 256th Squadron seem more realistic than other characters in historical fiction. Many historical fiction books regarding the Second World War only discuss the dark and miserable aspects of the war, and discuss them in a tone that is intended to draw a sympathetic, sad response from the reader. Catch-22 doesn’t ignore the miserable aspects of war, such as losing a friend, but it also discusses the the more light hearted aspects, such as chasing Italian women in Rome. The dark satire makes any situation the characters of Catch-22 encounter seem funny. Even the burning of a hospital kitchen is hilarious, as the wounded men in the hospital watch the firemen battle the flames before they are called to the runway to ensure no planes burn on the runway, leaving the fire to burn itself out. The whole basis of Catch-22 is satirical; a man may ask to be grounded due to reasons of insanity, but if he is capable of asking to be grounded for this reason, then he is actually sane, and has to fly. Now, to the character experiencing this absurdity, Catch-22 may be a total annoyance, but to the reader this circular thinking is rather humorous. The ordeal with Captain Cathcart constantly raising the number of required missions is a sick joke to the airmen who have to suffer because of it, and is a large part of the dark humor that Heller uses. When the crew of Orr’s plane has to ditch in the sea, “Orr began opening up compartments in the raft, and the fun really began. First he found a box of chocolate bars and he passed those around, so we sat there eating salty wet chocolate bars while the waves kept knocking us out of the raft into the water. Next he found some bouillon cubes and aluminum cups and made us some soup. Then he found some tea. Sure, he made it! Can’t you seem him serving us tea as we sat there soaking wet in water up to our ass? Now I was falling out of the raft because I was laughing so much. We were all laughing. And he was dead serious, except for that goofy giggle of his and that crazy grin. What a jerk! Whatever he found he used… he finds is a fishing line and dried bait, and his face lights up as though the Air-Sea Rescue launch had just sped up to save us” (308-309). Although the men are in a dire position here, one can’t help but laugh at the spectacle taking place in the raft, As Orr enjoys himself searching for hidden items. The dark satire in this book makes it bearable; without it, Catch-22 would just be another historical fiction novel about the Second World War. Catch-22 also grapples with the idea of bureaucracy. In fact, the book is almost centered around the theme that bureaucracy has absolute power in war. The colonels and generals of the Air Force have absolute control over the pilots and other airmen. When the men wish to stop flying missions, they're mission requirement is raised, with total disregard for their wellbeing. Catch-22 is the biggest example of bureaucracy in this book; to be grounded, the airmen must declare themselves insane to Dr. Daneeka, but if they are capable of declaring themselves insane then they are sane and must fly. It took me quite a while to come this conclusion, but after fondling the ideas of Catch-22 and the other examples of bureaucracy, a skill I acquired from reading Nabokov's "Good Readers and Good Writers", I was able to extract this theme from the text. I also used this skill when analyzing the characterization of Yossarian. Initially Yossarian appeared to be a whiny clown who would prance around the airbase. However, after looking at his behavior and antics, I came to the conclusion that Yossarian may suffer from PTSD. This diagnosis explains his reluctance to fly again after witnessing the deaths of his fellow airmen at Ferrara.
Apart from using a satirical tone throughout the book, Heller switches back and forth between flashbacks and current events without any notice. In one chapter the death of the soldier in white may be discussed, while in the next the parade grounds in California and the arduous marching inflicted upon the men by Scheisskopf will be described. Heller uses this sometimes confusing structure to draw attention to the fact that war is also confusing and hard to understand. Heller’s strategy is certainly effective; I was often thrown off when the soldiers would suddenly move from a hospital in Italy to a cadet training center in California.
Though the book can be somewhat confusing at times, I would definitely recommend this book to any reader who enjoys reading about the Second World War, and enjoys satirical novels. Satire and the Second World War are not a common combination in writing, however Catch-22 manages to use this combination to its advantage, as it is both engaging and entertaining. Of course, this combination would not mean anything without a cast of characters who were simultaneously realistic and absurd. Orr and Hungry Joe were ridiculous characters; Joe a raving lunatic who often attacked fellow soldiers for making a few too many noises, and Orr, a giggling ninny who, unlike his crewmates, seemed to enjoy being stranded in the sea with little provisions. The length of the book (514 pages) may put some readers off, but Catch-22 felt like a quicker read simply because of how enjoyable it was. I managed to read this book in around 15 hours over the course of a week simply because I struggled to put it down; I wanted to see what would happen next, and what wily scheme Yossarian cooked up to avoid flying more missions.
Wow, this book sounds remarkable. I agree with your statement about the fact that many World War II books only focus on the sad aspects of the war to gain our sympathy. I laugh just in reading your descriptions, which I think highly reflect the humorous nature of the book. I find it interesting that certain characters represent the various aspects of the war such as the captain who constantly changes their orders and the pilot who represents the definition of capitalism. I wonder if the illnesses represent more about the main character than just the fact that he is afraid to go into flight. One thing I noticed that "How to Read Literature Like a Professor" pointed out was how diseases of certain regions of the brain represent something wrong with the emotional aspect of that body part. For example, disease of the heart could represent a man with a cruel and ultimately heartless demeanor. But maybe I am looking to far into it.
ReplyDeleteI feel like this book helps the reader sympathize with the characters, but not in a sad way. I feel frustrated just reading about how the characters cannot land unless they declare that they are insane but declaring insanity proves that they are sane. I like how this book seems to make you sympathize through its satire, humor, and complete ridiculousness. This sounds like a book that I would really enjoy, especially because I am trying to get a better understanding of history (it's not my best subject). Books like these really help me get engaged with history in a way I feel typical history classes can't do. If you like this book you might like "The Deep Cut." It is about a family during the civil war and has some very interesting situations that occur throughout the story.
For a complex novel like Catch-22, you really did a great job of isolating certain themes and ideas. My main question is how do you think the war, and the methods in which the war was handled, played into the development of the characters and their personalities? I ask this because my independent reading novel was The Sun Also Rises. Ernest Hemingway sets this novel in Paris and Spain in the 1920’s, following a group of people, many of whom are veterans of World War I. In fact, the main character, Jake Barnes, is an American expatriate who was a pilot during the war. One of the central themes to this novel has to do with the attitudes of the characters and society as a whole after the Great War. The characters were influenced immensely by the war, although Hemingway did not go into as much detail about the war itself as Heller did in Catch-22. It’s really interesting to see how war is portrayed in both these novels, and how it affects the characters. I noticed that your analyses of Catch-22 depict the main characters as cynical, satirical soldiers who are relatively dynamic and possess a sort of life-force. The characters in The Sun Also Rises exude overwhelming apathy and disillusionment, attitudes that are mainly a result of World War I. According to your interpretations, Heller focused on a bigger idea surrounding the war as it occurred, rather than the repercussions. My experience during this assignment was interacting with the notion of war indirectly, specifically in how it affected individuals, while your novel focused on war through a wider lens. War is such a fascinating topic, and it was enlightening to approach how it has been presented in influential pieces of literature in an entirely different perspective.
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