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Essay On The Real Anti-Hero In Joseph Heller's Catch-22

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Yossarian: The Real Anti-hero
Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 is a 1961 best-selling novel (Encyclopedia) about war and how the soldiers in the camp survive and deal with the difficulties of war. Catch-22 represents what people in World War II went through and what soldiers had to do to defend their country in war. Joseph Heller wrote this novel for people who lived through World War II to prove to the soldiers that he knew what they went through and try put a funny twist on it for readers to enjoy (Kabourek).
Here is an idea about what soldiers went through in WWII: “Our loses were heavy. By the time of the Regensburg mission, I had been in combat several times in 60 days and already I was a seasoned war veteran. I had turned 23 and matured far beyond my age… The memories never go away. I have visited my airfield deafening, and tears are uncontrollable.” (Hansen 39-48). …show more content…

Yossarian is an example of this. Yossarian is the protagonist in Catch-22 and also a young bombardier in Squadron 256 who will do anything to avoid death and avoid fighting for his country. Yossarian was tired of flying missions and of having to risk his life every day. It is because of this that he is considered an antihero (Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia). But, what exactly is an antihero? An antihero is someone who lacks all the characteristics a hero might portray like courage, bravery or honesty (Random House Inc. ). Yossarian demonstrates this antiheroism by doing anything and everything to avoid risking his life, by the selfish decisions he makes and the lack of honor he shows in different situations throughout the

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