Characters In Joseph Heller's Catch-22

Throughout the novel, Yossarian feels he has little control over his life and is portrayed as a bystander in the war around him. It isn't until Colonel Cathcart does a total investigation of the events leading to a majority of his crew's deaths that Heller starts to allude to how much Yossarian plays a hand in the rising action of the novel. The fault becomes apparent and becomes clear that he may be more powerful -- and therefore more guilty-- for the numerous deaths. According to Cathcart’s list, Yossarian’s decision to move back the bombing lines in Bologna (123) is what ultimately killed Lieutenant Coomb, leading the squadron down a spiralling path of leaders that make the decisions to increase the minimum number of missions needed to be

The out of order sequence, in the book's context, reflects war trauma as it plays out in the present. Strung together by the recurrence of the Battle of Avignon, Yossarian morally grows to become more selfless, which significantly differs from his egocentric beginning. Each one of Catch-22’s chapters introduces a new character with a new back story and event that impacts Yossarians perspective. By losing his closest allies and watching innocent civilians get raped and murdered by those put into a position meant for public welfare, Yossarian slowly begins to realize the value and fragility of life. The pinnacle of the action comes when Yossarian’s plane is hit by flack in a flashback to the Battle of Avignon. One of his crewmen, the radio gunner Snowden, is hit in the crossfire and is mortally

It was easy to read the message in his entrails. Man was matter, that was Snowden’s secret. Drop him out a window and he’ll fall. Set fire to him and he’ll burn. Bury him and he’ll rot, like other kinds of garbage. That was Snowden’s secret. Ripeness was all.” (450)

The idea of mortality -- and its inevitability -- is a prominent theme that easily resonates with society on personal levels because death is so recurrent in everyday life. Catch-22 features a great amount of loss in more specific circumstance but war casualties are still a large part of American society because our troops never ceased deployment. There is always some conflict going on in some part of the world that our leader opt into, sometimes with little thought as to what the consequences may