In Joseph Heller's novel Catch -22 he reveals a humorous story of the 256th squadron of Air Force Bombardiers. The main character is a guy names Yossarian who thinks everybody is out to kill him. Through out the first chunk Heller uses a lot of repetitions and speaks in circles. On the first page already you sense all the confusion coming into play. "The doctors were puzzled by the fact that it wasn't quite jaundice. If it became jaundice they could treat it. If it didn't become jaundice and went away they could discharge him. But this is just being short of jaundice all the time confused them." This novel is very confusing I found my self re-reading a lot of sections. Heller use repetitions, allusions, humor, and hyperboles to foreshadow the theme of this Catch-22. Catch - 22 means if you do it your damned and your damned if you don't. The actual Catch -22 that falls into this story is that " a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes the necessary formal request to be relieved of such missions, the very act of making the request proves that he is sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved." Many of the soldiers on this Squadron are eligible to leave but cant because the colonel wont discharge them even though they really are insane. I think the main character Yossarian is going to try and come up wit a plan and find a loop hole within the Catch -22 This novel is pure comedy because the characters are all crazy. Everybody has a problem with somebody. Wouldn't you think that they would be friends having a good time because really the soldiers in the squadron are all you have. They things they say and the reasons for they things they do are just weird, its something a normal sane person wouldn't do. Heller takes us through the chapters by introducing a different characters story. Each character has a little catch in their lives. Heller's purpose is to really have the theme Catch 22 through out the novel in order to empower the real conflict of the Catch 22.
Question #1 Do think some of the characters are really sane and are playing as if they are insane???
So far I believe that the characters who were in the hospital with Yossarian are sane and are just pretending to be insane because they no longer want to partake in the war. While the other characters have tunnel vision as they are only focused on doing their duty.
ReplyDeleteI believe that the characters are sane, so sane til there're insane (Catch 22).
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