Theme Of Insanity In Catch 22

Isaiah J. Suazo

Mrs.Vermillion

Honors English 10

9 May 2023

Insanity of War: Analysis of Catch-22

There were approximately 60 million deaths in World War II, and Yossarian does anything to avoid becoming one of the many fatalities of this war. Yossarian, a bombardier for the United military, takes any chance to excuse himself from any missions. But due to catch-22 and the various great loyalty oaths; Yossarian, and many other men serving alongside him, are pinioned into service. Any soldier afraid of combat and tries to request to return home is deemed sane enough to serve, because only the insane want to go to war. Catch–22 is a well-written novel because of the characters and complex vocabulary. It is important to understand the time period

‘Then why are they shooting me?’ Yossarian asked. ‘They’re shooting at everyone,’ Clevinger answered. ‘They’re trying to kill everyone’” (Heller 16). Clevinger, who is a highly intellectual Harvard graduate, argues furiously against Yossarian’s mindset that everyone’s out to kill him, asking who exactly. Yossarian’s Idea that everyone is out to get him is logical because Yossarian had been shot at by strangers every time they flew to drop bombs on them. The conversation between Yossarian and Clevinger flows well and feels like one that could reasonably happen in the real world. Lots of the people in the novel use complex vocabulary to accurately describe what they see, feel or look like; which challenges and increases the reader’s knowledge of words. The words Heller chooses to describe characters or things shows the nature of the character at the moment or entirely. One of the side characters present in the novel is Aarfy, who sees himself as superior to other characters. This is shown when he pretends to not hear Yossarian to enrage him and “[c]almly struck a wooden match and sicked noisily at his pope with an eloquent air of

Throughout the novel the readers watch the story unfold from the point of view of Yossarian, but without warning the reader is thrust unto another character's perspective or back in time. In the introductory lines of the book we are already forced back into the past, “The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain he fell madly in love with him. Yossarian was in the hospital with a pain in his liver that fell just short of being jaundice” (Heller 7). The first sentence about Yossarian liking the chaplain would occur later in the chapter, and confuses readers of what is occurring in the story. Especially as the beginning lines of Catch-22. This randomness could throw off the intentions of the book and create confusion.Later in the novel another jump in plot occurs when we switch from a conversation between Yossarian, Clevinger, and other characters to Major Major's life story. At first Clevinger is talking about “[t]hese three men who hated him spoke his language and wore his uniform, but he saw the loveless faces set immutably into cramped, mean lines of hostility… , were there men who hated him more” (Heller 82). and jumps to “Major Major Major Major has had a difficult time from the start. Like Miniver Cheevy, he had been born too late”