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The Upper Evil In Joseph Heller's Novel 'Catch-22'

965 Words4 Pages

Jay Guo
Ms. Nelson
Literature & Language 10 (H+)
Sept 1st, 2017
The Upper Evil
People are always struggling for peace and fairness, but the fact is that they never once reached any of them. In Joseph Heller's novel Catch-22, the evil and invulnerable power of the authorities is vividly depicted. Through the conversations among the soldiers in Italy, Heller truly reveals the terrible military regulation system and the distrustful social atmosphere during and after World War II.
The title of the book is "Catch-22", which refers to a piece of regulation in the military system. It mentions that a pilot must take part in at least twenty-five operations before he finishes his service in the army and is permitted to go back home. Unless you acknowledge that you are mentally …show more content…

What's more, officers have the rights to extend soldiers' services in the army. And if a soldier breaks any military regulation during his service, he will not be protected under "Catch-22", which means that he will never go back home until the war ends. As a result, officers can add the number of missions the pilots need to operate without receiving a single objection from the fellow pilots. The story took place on the island of Pianosa near Italy. It was when the famous battle, which was later called the Battle of Normandy, happened. The miserable degree of that specific battle was hard to imagine. Only a few pilots were still alive after reaching the "twenty-fifth line". Therefore, "Catch-22" did not perform any positive impact among the soldiers. It was rather a symbol of desperation than freedom. That is the reason why our protagonist, Yossarian, disguised himself as a patient and stayed in the hospital in the rear area. At first, when he joined the air force, he was determined to kill as

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