Catch22 Essay Research Paper Since the dawn

Catch-22 Essay, Research Paper

Since the morning of literature and play, comedy

and calamity have ever been partitioned into separate genres. Surely most

calamities had comedic minutes, and even the zaniest comedies were at times

serious. However, even the development of said tragicomedies left the division

more or less integral. Integrating a entire comedy and a entire calamity into a

holistic brotherhood that non merely preserved both characteristics, but besides blended them into

a new and harmonious entity remained elusive. That is, until Catch-22. Using his

alone manner and construction, Joseph Heller masterfully manages to interlay wit

and panic, comedy and calamity, and reveals in the procedure the perversions of

the human character and of society gone huffy. The first shot of Heller & # 8217 ; s deft

touch is his presentation of hideous characters, moving outrageously. From

the first chapter, we are presented with a batch of incredible characters whose

actions and political orientations are hilariously amusing, and horrifically upseting. In

fact, the mode in which the reader recognizes the character & # 8217 ; s double nature will

service as the first illustration of Heller & # 8217 ; s merger of comedy and calamity.

Dunbar & # 8217 ; s theory of life is first received with a explosion of laughter from the

audience. Life is short, and Dunbar wants to widen it every bit much as possible. If

clip flies when one is holding merriment, so conversely, clip must decelerate when one is

bored. Dunbar enterprises to do his life every bit deadening as possible, therefore increasing

the length of its passing. Indeed, it is apprehensible why such an attitude

should arouse a laugh, but the farther deductions are hideous. Society & # 8217 ; s

accent on life over intending comes as a flooring disclosure to the audience.

Heller farther reinforces that thought with characters such as Doc Daneeka, who

values self-preservation and money over duty and friendly relationship, and Milo

who values self-reformation and luck over the lives of 1000s of others.

The motive that follows gives us characters that are, above all else, more

interested in ego ( Cathcart, Mrs. Daneeka, Duckett, the Old Man, Peckem, etc. ) .

Though they are ab initio humourous, their nature is finally revealed to be

false and hideous, eliciting disgust and commiseration, a superb combination of comedy

and calamity. The perversion of society is revealed farther in a 2nd major

type of character, the deluded. Though most serve mostly as foils to Yossarian

and his doctrine, much can still be made of their status. Clevinger is

possibly the best illustration of a deluded character. His argument with Yossarian

serves as an insightful rating of their mind. He argues that, although

everyone is seeking to kill him, everyone is non seeking to kill him. The wit of

the argument can non be denied, but horror and calamity are every bit present. The

argument leaves the audience fighting to make up one’s mind who is brainsick. Clevinger falls

into an obvious contradiction, but his statement still strikes as common sense.

In face of Yossarian & # 8217 ; s exultant “ What difference does that do? ”

the audience is left non merely with the realisation of its meretriciousness, but of

the realisation that they believed it. The panic evoked by the deluded prevarications

chiefly in that the audience is every bit deluded. Possibly Clevinger, Appleby, and

Havermeyer are contending for “ what they have been told ” was their

state & # 8211 ; and possibly so has the audience. The mastermind of Heller & # 8217 ; s

word picture is farther enhanced as the audience sees itself in the hollow

principle of the deluded, and is aghast with horror, even in face of such wit.

With this disclosure, Heller compels the audience to follow the rebellious way

of Yossarian, or autumn victim to the indoctrination of society, and run into the same

destiny as the deluded. As the audience is bombarded with crazily comedic sarcasms

of Catch-22, they are farther aware of its horror. A primary illustration of sarcasm is

found in Milo, when he is praised for bombing his ain company when it is learned

that he made a great trade of money. Again, this evokes a steadfast laugh, and so

leaves the audience aghast with horror. Hyperbole makes this amusing & # 8211 ; an event

such as this occurring, and so motivating such a reaction by those affected is

about unfathomable & # 8211 ; but the ultimate truth provides the panic. Society genuinely

does honor individuals for net income, even if it consequences, as it frequently does, in

awful hurt. The farther cases of laughably backward behaviour & # 8211 ;

Hungry Joe & # 8217 ; s shriek, Havermeyer & # 8217 ; s neglect for life, McWatt & # 8217 ; s destructive

winging, Cathcart & # 8217 ; s “ list ” , etc. & # 8211 ; further supply the audience with

humourous cases of hyperbole, whose ultimate truth proves to be

dismaying. Heller & # 8217 ; s blend of exaggeration and truth create a horrifying, though

comedic, charge for his sarcasm. Possibly the most memorable property of Catch-22

is its mind-boggling paradoxes, or, as they are more normally referred to,

gimmicks. These paradoxes range from the harmlessly absurd, to the crazily

ruinous. When Yossarian and his friends begin as

king cagey inquiries to

disrupt tiring educational Sessionss, Colonel Korn decides that merely those who

ne’er ask inquiries may inquire inquiries. When they want to discourse a job with

Major Major, they are allowed into his office merely when he is out. Even when

Yossarian is offered an seemingly harmless trade that would let him to travel place

as a hero, there is a gimmick. He must bewray his friends by praising the officers

who caused many of them to decease. And as Heller shows, life is reduced to one

thwarting paradox after another. The most noteworthy case of the paradox is

Catch-22. The first solid mention is Doc Daneeka & # 8217 ; s version, presented to

Yossarian on the affair of foundations. To be grounded, one must be insane, but

1 must besides inquire to be grounded. However, inquiring to be grounded shows the

desire for self-preservation, a certain mark of saneness. For, if one were genuinely

insane, one would wing the missions voluntarily. Thus, no 1 is grounded. This

is striking for its sophism and disk shape, and is surely humourous, but

its deductions are every bit monstrous & # 8211 ; more and more deceases. As the novel

continues, the paradoxes remain every bit humourous, but their deductions even

more ghastly. The Catch decays, traveling into the civilian universe with the Luciana

matrimony riddle. Subsequently, it appears with official ordinance saying that

one & # 8217 ; s orders must be obeyed, even if they conflict with official ordinance.

Finally, the truth of Catch-22 is revealed in the MP & # 8217 ; s destructive and inhumane

rendering, they can make whatever you can & # 8217 ; t halt them from making. Ultimately,

Catch-22 is the unwritten loophole that empowers governments to revoke your

rights whenever it suits their cruel caprices. It is, in short, the rule of

absolute immorality in a malevolent and unqualified universe. Equally humourous as Catch-22 is

( ab initio at least ) , the horror intertwined with it is strikingly apparent.

Probably the most of import component of Catch-22 is its absurdness. Absurdity

pervades the novel, making dually wit and panic. The absurd Lt. , Col. ,

Gen. , Sheishkopff & # 8217 ; s compulsion with parades is rather droll. Again, nevertheless, the

deductions are ghastly. Sheishkopff views his soldiers as marionettes, desiring at

one point to wire them together to make a absolutely precise machine. This

reflects society & # 8217 ; s insane compulsion with order and conformance, even at the cost

of individualism and humanity. A farther illustration of such dehumanizing absurdness

occurs at the infirmary. Yossarian has suffered a leg hurt and is told to take

better attention of his leg because it is authorities belongings. Soldiers, hence,

are non even people, but merely belongings that can be listed on an stock list. In

a bureaucratism, as Heller shows, individualism does non count. Possibly the most

absurd character in the novel is Colonel Cathcart. He continually raises the

figure of missions for no other ground than personal prestigiousness. Though he

achieves nil by this, he continually persists. Cathcart & # 8217 ; s absurd thrust for

prestigiousness is once more emphasized in the Saturday Evening Post incident. He tries to

transcript another squadron & # 8217 ; s prayer meetings, non for morale, but for the absurd

idea that he will be featured in the Saturday Evening Post. Even his ground

for non traveling frontward is absurd ; he refuses to accept the enlisted work forces praying

to the same God as the officers. Possibly Cathcart & # 8217 ; s most laughably absurd

action is his “ List ” . Ultimately, his calling is measured out in

“ Blacken Eyes ” and “ Feathers in His Cap ” instead than in

success, morale, or human life. Cathcart remains one of the novel & # 8217 ; s funniest

characters, but his indispensable inhumaneness and selfishness creates an every bit

contemptible character. Cathcart presents another illustration of Heller & # 8217 ; s beautiful

weaving of comedy and calamity. Concluding illustrations of the horrifically humourous

absurdness of the novel are the decease scenes. Clevinger is the first to do his

going, winging into a cloud and ne’er returning. The unreasonable logistics

of his death are certain to earn laughs. Likewise, Kid Sampson & # 8217 ; s gruesome

decease at the blades of a propellor & # 8211 ; followed by McWatt & # 8217 ; s suicide & # 8211 ; is

sadistically amusing. The absurdness of Dunbar being “ disappeared ” cloaks

its atrocious truth. Even life and decease can be at the caprice of the ground forces bureaucratism,

as demonstrated by Mudd & # 8217 ; s “ life ” , and Daneeka & # 8217 ; s “ decease ” . At

the beginning these deceases are so comically absurd, but the basic horror of it

is adequate to do one nauseating. Absurdity represents one of Heller & # 8217 ; s most

adept blends of comedy and calamity in the full novel. Though apparently

unreconcilable genres, horror and calamity are agilely fused into a whole creative activity

by Heller & # 8217 ; s alone manner and construction. Heller creates state of affairss where the

audience laughs, and so must look back in horror at what they were express joying

at. Through superb word pictures, superb sarcasm, mind-boggling paradoxes,

and clever absurdness, Heller manages interlay wit and panic, comedy and

calamity into a beautiful whole as Catch-22.