Heller's Analytical Essay: The Waste Of War

Throughout the development of culture, literature developed in one form or another. One of the first works in this expressive medium, The Bible, became the basis for a major religion. However, very few great works of literature are given such treatment. Instead, they are given the very illustrious title of “classic”. This incredibly subjective title has caused much debate in the classrooms and lecture halls of education institutions for generations. This title carries no rubric with it, instead, the rubric must be created by every individual on their own, and it is averaged with the experience of others to create a holistic view of the reader's opinion on the novel. One novel that must be added for consideration of the illustrious title is

Heller’s novel crafts a clear commentary on many different issues in the United States after World War II. One of the issues Heller shows throughout the novel is the waste of war. This is shown in Heller’s use of many characters that appear to be one dimensional in nature, as they serve one purpose to the text and then fade to the back. This is certainly one of the more unique aspects of the novel, as to the uneducated reader, this may appear wasteful for no reason. Though after critical analysis, it becomes clear that Heller is attempting to offer commentary on the waste of the military. It shows that the military uses people for only one job and moves them along. This remains to be incredibly relevant in the world today, as some would say that the military still uses this practice. Another theme that is used throughout the novel is the problems with bureaucracy. This is primarily shown through the character Major Major Major Major. This one man is promoted to Major for no reason other than comedic relief. Moreover, once he is given that title, he does not change any of his actions and continues business as usual without getting demoted. This commentary on bureaucracy is especially pointed in the current political environment, as nothing is being done in Washington due to the fighting between both sides. The final aspect that proves it meets the criteria that were established earlier is the concept of a catch-22. This was a critical symbol throughout the novel, as it became the title fixture for the book. A catch-22 can be defined as a no-win scenario, as both options would lead to non-favourable results. This was shown in the novel through the circumstance where Yossarian wishes to declare insanity to be sent home, but only a sane person can declare themself insane, so to declare insanity would actually be to declare the opposite. This type of no-win scenario has permeated society far