Not So Fast
For some reason, life just keeps getting harder and harder-there is just no easy way out. Unfortunately, because the United States is such a competitive nation-we are always making choices out to be more difficult than they need to be. The highly competitive territory of the United States, results in high anxiety over making difficult choices to try and always be better than other people. However, Joseph Heller’s examples of difficult life choices, are just pure insanity. In the novel, Catch-22, Joseph Heller establishes the ongoing theme that life is full of difficult choices and no-win situations, by using conflict, symbols, and tone.
First off, Colonel Cathcart’s constant increasing the number of missions his squadron has to fly, is a prime example of Catch-22. How can the soldiers ever expect to be sent home, if Colonel Cathcart keeps raising the number of missions? Joseph Heller reinforces his theme that there is always a catch, by showing a struggle between opposing forces,” No you can’t go home,’ ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen corrected him.’ ‘Are you crazy or something?’ ‘Why not?’ ‘Catch-22.’ Yossarian was stunned. ‘What the hell
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Heller’s witty and sarcastic tone in Catch-22, show the utter craziness throughout the novel, “Yossarian wrinkled his forehead with quizzical amusement. ‘You won’t marry me because I’m crazy and you say I’m crazy because I won’t marry you?’ ‘Is that right’”(Heller, page 159). Yossarian comes across to the reader as very witty, and on his feet during that scene of the novel with Luciana. Also, Yossarian’s wittiness contributes to the theme that life is full of difficult situations, that always have a catch. Luciana would not marry Yossarian because he was crazy and she thought he was crazy because he would not marry her: there is no way to win because either way Yossarian would be crazy and not