Joseph Hellers Catch 22 Essay - 1098 Words

Catch 22 Comparison Paper Catch 22 by Joseph Heller is a complex and intricate novel. Heller uses many themes, does not have the story line in chronological order and often uses irony in his descriptions. Many of the themes can be compared to other literature. One of the themes that can be compared is fear in war. The idea is that the evils and cruelty of war can make a grown man go back into a fetal state. This can be seen in The Ball Turret Gunner by Randall Jarrell and can be compared to the metaphor used in chapter five of Catch 22. In this chapter Yossarian talks about the tight crawl space which led to the plexiglass bombardier’s compartment. This can be looked at as the passageway to fear. Every time Yossarian climbs down†¦show more content†¦When he went to tell ex-PFC Wintergreen his theory though, he was pushed away. It was if he didn’t care to think about the situation. This shows the lack of respect for another human life. This can also be seen in SlaughterHouse V. One of the things Billy thinks about is the value of human life. The question he asks is how can God not value the life of people and let them be slaughtered. What he was referring too was the concentration camps that he was in and saw people die at and the bombing of Dresden where many people lost their lives. Billy Pilgrim felt that if God loved his people that he wouldn’t allow this to happen. So therefore there would be no God because the God that people have learned about, loves everyone and would certainly not allow harm to anyone. This definitely takes aim at religion and basically sees how much faith a person might have in G od despite the evil he sees around him. Another take on it is that why does God want people to be miserable. This is seen by Doc Daneeka constantly asking Why Me. She talks about Hungry Joe and how Yossarian is constantly worries about Hungry Joe. She starts out by sarcastically saying that she has no stress. She says that she knows there is a war and there are people suffering. She can’t figure out why she has to be one of them. Another theme and imagery used in Catch 22 is the prisonShow MoreRelated Literary Analysis of Joseph Hellers Catch 22 Essay1774 Words   |  8 PagesLiterary Analysis of Joseph Hellers Catch 22 Laughing in the face of war and death, literally, is one of the things that make the novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller such an intriguing and original story. It was written in 1961, a time when, due to the fighting of the Second World War, all war novels were written with a dark and dreary tone, while still trying to continue the pre-conceived romantic notions about war. However, Joseph Heller strips away all of the romantic pretense, and pulling heavilyRead MoreSatire in Joseph Hellers Novel, Catch 22935 Words   |  4 PagesSatire in Catch 22 What the heck was Heller up to? That is a simple, yet daunting question. 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The island is described as very small and is located in the Mediterranean Sea, off theRead More Use of Symbolism in Joseph Hellers Catch-22 Essay example1770 Words   |  8 PagesUse of Symbolism in Joseph Hellers Catch-22 The clerk sneezed three times in rapid succession and looked at me through watery eyes. What did you say your name was? I told him my name and he turned to a towering file cabinet overflowing with papers and brown manila envelopes. After sneezing three times and searching through a drawer, he pulled out a thin folder and laid it on the counter. Ah, he said in a nasal voice laden with condescension and impatience. I see you have no experienceRead MoreEssay about Anti-War Elements in Joseph Heller’s Catch-221153 Words   |  5 PagesCritics often refer to Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 as an anti-war novel. At its core, the novel has a disparaging view of war. The main character, John Yossarian, believes that war is madness. 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The novel takes place in Italy during World War II and the novel follows Yossarian who is a part of an air squadron yet Heller confirms that â€Å"The elements that inspired the ideas came to me from the civilian situation inRead More Irony in Catch 22 by Joseph Heller Essay865 Words   |  4 PagesIrony in Catch-22 by Jo seph Heller      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   According to The Merriam - Webster Dictionary Irony is 1.) the use of words to express the opposite of what one really means 2.) incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the expected result (380) In Catch-22 the type of irony that Heller uses is the second definition incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the expected results (Merriam - Webster Dictionary 380). For example in Catch-22 Heller writesRead More Essay on Satire, Sarcasm, and Irony in Catch-22 by Joseph Heller684 Words   |  3 PagesSatire, Sarcasm, and Irony in Catch-22  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Joseph Hellers narration, dialogue, and characterization in Catch-22 all create a unique perspective of war and our societys bureaucracy. The satire, sarcasm, irony, and general absurdity of the novel provide a view of the irrationality of mans behavior. The horror that is portrayed in Catch-22 is intensified by the humorous way in which it is portrayed. Distortion and exaggeration highlight the characters and scenario while magnifying the confusionRead MoreCatch-22: â€Å"The Last Good War† in All Its Absurdity1000 Words   |  4 PagesCatch-22: â€Å"The Last Good War† in All Its Absurdity Published in 1961, Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 is a satire of war with a twist. Heller wrote his narrative nonlinearly. Although certain critics described the novel as â€Å"disorganized, unreadable and crass†, the mismatched chronology complements Heller’s style of writing and draws the reader’s interest. One key point of Catch-22, the catch-22 paradox, makes use of the nonlinear structure to encircle the reader in the contradictions. In addition, Heller’s