The Justification Of War In Catch-22 By Joseph Heller

Wars have been fought for centuries for hundreds of different reasons, but one of the most common justifications for war is freedom from an oppressive force. Wars are commonly fought on the grounds of freedom and human liberties, such as in the American Revolution, the Civil War, and World War II, and while these wars were certainly justified to protect human rights, they often were fought in a way that actually restricted the freedom of those fighting in them. In Catch-22, Joseph Heller writes about a group of pilots stationed near Italy in the 1940s who struggle to survive and escape the terrible reality of war, fighting to free themselves and rediscover their individual liberty. The dramatic irony throughout the novel emphasizes the irony

The first man to successfully leave behind his “life” in the army is Orr, who crashed his plane in the ocean and rowed all the way to Sweden to escape any more days in the army. Orr’s plan is especially brilliant because it appears to be an accident. Had Orr intentionally run away from his duties, he would have been brought back and sentenced to time in prison, but he made it appear as if it had been a disastrous mishap. Orr spent most of his time in the air force “making plans to beat Catch-22 at its own absurdist game” knowing that no one “could possibly accuse Orr of purposely plunging his plane into the ocean, and who would imagine that, by practicing survival techniques (how to paddle, how to fish, how to navigate by the stars), he might survive?” (Pinsker 605). Orr’s story was so incredible to Yossarian that he decided to join him and do the same thing: run away to Sweden. At this point in the novel, Yossarian has been given the opportunity to go home in exchange for his word that he would promote his superiors and exhibit his admiration for them. Instead, Yossarian chooses to run away. He believes that by accepting the general’s offer, he will be abandoning his fellow troops, all of whom are caught in the same absurd trap. The general’s offer might appear to be what is best for Yossarian, but he questions “‘Is it best for the men in the group who will have to keep flying more missions?’” (Heller 302). Facing whether to accept the deal or continue to fly missions, Yossarian creates his own path, and only through this option is he finally able to escape his