Catch 22
Satire is often used by writers to express their discontent towards a subject in a humorous way. Joseph Heller's novel, Catch-22, satirizes war and its implications on society and man himself. Heller reveals the dehumanizing aspect of war, not the glory of it. He makes a social comment on the corruptive, self-fulfilling, irrational side of war that is often disregarded or dismissed. As he sheds light upon the darker part of war the universal qualities of mankind are revealed. In the novel Catch-22, the universal qualities of failure, corruption and irrationality are expressed in a satirical manner.
The protagonist Yossarian is an antihero as he is unsuccessful in changing his ...
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an obstacle put there by providence as part of the plot that would destroy him" (Heller, 57). Also during one of Yossarian's flight he goes over the treacherous city Bologna against his will, but fulfilling the mission requirements. Suddenly black smoke is seen surrounding the plane and at any moment the plane could explode. Yossarian knew there was "nothing he could do but sit there like an idiot and watch the ugly black puffs smashing up to kill him" (Heller, 156). Yossarian is considered an antihero due to his lack of intelligence at improving his situation. Furthermore, his profound fear of dying in action clutters his mind and any room for quick, decisive, critical thought becomes lost. His theory that the entire world is plotting a conspiracy to kill him is a disillusioned one. Although, Yossarian fails to realize that "there was too many dangers for Yossarian to keep track of. There was Hitler, Mussolini and Tojo for example, and they were all out to kill him" ...
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he is placed on a pedestal and treated like a God. The secret behind M and M enterprises` immense success is its policy. The syndicate benefits and makes profits; therefore, everyone benefits which is ideally similar to democracy. All the people within a nation is what the government is comprised of and each member has a voice. It sounds beautiful. When Milo boasts about his perfect syndicate saying, "the syndicate benefits when I benefit, because everybody has a share" (Heller, 242), how could anyone possibly see anything negative. Milo's intentions are good in that his marketing strategies are used to benefit every shareholder in the syndicate yet, the idea of business expansion ...
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Catch 22. (2008, October 4). Retrieved April 28, 2024, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Catch-22/90927
"Catch 22." Essayworld.com. Essayworld.com, 4 Oct. 2008. Web. 28 Apr. 2024. <http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Catch-22/90927>
"Catch 22." Essayworld.com. October 4, 2008. Accessed April 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Catch-22/90927.
"Catch 22." Essayworld.com. October 4, 2008. Accessed April 28, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Catch-22/90927.
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