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Daniel Havern
Mr. Oravec
AP Literature and Composition
11 November 2014
Whats the Catch?
There was only one catch and that was Catch-22 Orr was crazy and could be
grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and
would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't,
but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he
didn't want to he was sane and had to (Heller 46).
Catch-22 is a paradoxical rule in Joseph Hellers novel that traps individuals in specific
circumstances due to contradictory rules. Put simply, soldiers who do not want to fly missions
must ask to be grounded on the basis that they are crazy. But if they ask to be grounded, they are
cannot be crazy, even though flying missions makes them crazy. This rule directly emphasizes
Hellers main themes of a lack of logic, the absurdity of war, and satirical criticism of the
capitalist state, the absurd power of the bureaucracy and the ineffectiveness of language and
communication.
Hellers capability to incorporate these ideas into his writing has made his novel one of
the 20th Centurys most important. Needless to say, Heller does an excellent job of writing Catch22 using the techniques and practices that he does. Heller incorporates multiple significant
literary devices throughout his work. Character, setting, and narration all contribute in their own
ways to the development of the plot and themes. Important concepts of symbolism, allegory, and
dialogue allow the reader to grasp a deeper, more in-depth, understanding of the notions at work

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in the novel. Finally, Hellers structure, tone, and style help the reader grasp the material and
they emphasize the chief themes of Catch-22.
Joseph Heller was born May 1, 1923 and grew up in New York City, as a soon two his
two poor Jewish parents. He began writing his writing career as a young child. In 1942, Heller
enlisted in the Army Air Force Corps and was eventually sent over to Italy to fight in the World
War II. He flew over 60 missions as a bombardier before returning home, probably his greatest
influence for writing Catch-22. Upon returning home, Heller studied and received a masters in
English from the University of Southern California. Heller soon became well known for his
stories, plays, and novels often satirizing World War Two and the Cold War. In the end, he died
on December 12, 1999 of a heart attack.
Hellers experience as a bombardier in the Second World War aligns almost directly with
the main character of Catch-22. 28 year old Air Force Captain and bombardier John Yossarian is
the main protagonist of the novel. The main focus that drives Yossarian throughout the novel is
his will for self-preservation. This contrasts sharply with the current notion of what a hero is;
leading the readers to believe Yossarian is an anti-hero. But others argue it is an act against the
military bureaucracy. Many view Yossarians situation as, less than a fighting unit than a
bureaucracy petuating itself through flagrant but persuasive use of authoritarian logic (Bradbury
119). The military acts somewhat illogical when risking the mens lives, so Yossarian acts
logically and tries to preserve his life. The paradoxical or puzzling thing about this though, just
like most of the logic in Catch-22, is that he will be willing to do anything and everything to save
himself. Whether it is acting insane or poisoning himself and his squadron, Yossarian is
determined to save himself and continue on living. But this does not mean he is conceited. On
the contrary, Yossarian cares deeply for the men under his command. This is quite evident in the

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reoccurring theme and death of his friend Snowden. The constant reference and lasting impact
Snowdens death has on Yossarian reveals how he cares so much for these men. But this
consideration for his men creates yet another Catch-22; Yossarian favors self-preservation and
still cares about his men, but if he cares about his men then he will be putting his own life in
danger. These paradoxical Catch-22s are what make the novel so mind-boggling. Yossarian is so
bemused with these problems, the only way he feels he can solve them is by simply running
away from the war, which is exactly what he does in the end.
Although Yossarian ran away, some of the men enjoyed their stay in the Army,
specifically Milo Minderbinder. Milo is the mess officer who takes his job very seriously. Not
only does he take it seriously, but he is a master of the black-market and owns outfits for it in
places all over the entire world. Milo Minderbinder is probably the novels most significant satire
of the capitalist state. In the words of a professional, Heller embodies his satire of capitalism in
the character of Milo Minderbinder, whose obsessive pursuit of profits causes many deaths and
much suffering among his fellow soldiers ("Joseph Heller." 1629). In that instance, he arranges
for the Germans to bomb his own men for profit. At this point, Milo is acting as illogical, if not
more, that Colonel Cathcart, the head man risking the mens lives for a promotion. Milos lust for
profit is a prime example of how capitalism can be so dangerous, and Heller does an excellent
job of portraying that. But this is just another faction to how illogical the concepts are in Catch22. Milo can make money from both friend and foe, and it is shared with his men. Milo
Minderbinder is, in essence, another non-logical part of the book that shows the downfalls of a
capitalist state.
Milo Minderbinder was only one of the many men who abused their power for self-gain
or profit during the war. Colonel Cathcart, as mentioned earlier, risked the lives of his men

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recklessly only for the chance to be promoted to a general. As the men under his rule approach
the number of mission required to be discharged and sent home, Cathcart consistently raises the
number of required mission so that none of them can leave. Not to mention, he is the primary
character who endorses Catch-22. This leads Cathcart to be the antagonist of the novel, in
opposition to Yossarian, the protagonist. As the novel progresses, it becomes more and more
evident that Cathcart and Yossarian hate each other. But Yossarians displeasure with Cathcart is
not justified. The Colonel is clearly a symbol of the absurd and unchallenged power of the
bureaucracy. Consequently, Hellers portrayal of Cathcart as reckless, careless, and conceited
only helps his theme of satirizing war and the bureaucratic powers. In the end, Yossarian
succumbs to this immense power by making a deal to keep quiet about the Colonels wrong
doing to the men he oversees.
With Yossarian and Colonel Cathcart as the main characters of the novel, there is a
multitude of smaller role characters. The chaplain is a minor character, but he does significantly
impact the whole work. The chaplain is fighting a Catch-22 of his own; he is a religious man, so
he is essentially against war, but he is called into the war simply because he is a religious man. In
return, the chaplain is alienated from most of the other men and he is confused about his own
morals. Heller, ridicules the scant attention paid to religion through the chaplain, a goodhearted innocent whose ministrations have no effect on the problems of the men (Magill,
Dayton, and Laurence 1006). The chaplain, in essence, is a reminder of how absurd war can be;
which is exactly one of the themes Heller emphasizes throughout Catch-22.
Although all of these men maintain their own Catch-22s, the most evident piece of this
paradoxical theme is found in the setting. The novel begins with a description of where the novel
takes place, This island of Pianosia lies in the Mediterranean Sea eight miles south of Elba. It is

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very small and obviously could not accommodate all of the action described, (Heller I).Literally
the first few sentences of the book expose the lack of logic throughout it. The story is fictitious,
yet the author choses a place that the story could not take place in. There is little sense to why
Heller chose this, except to emphasize the theme of Catch-22. As members of the Armys Air
Force Corps, much of the novel also takes place in the planes while flying missions. This setting,
up in the air, also resembles the absurdity and insanity expressed throughout the book. For
example, the experience with the pilot McWatt. McWatt finds amusement in bothering Yossarian
by flying his plane extremely close to Yossarians tent, but one day McWatt accidentally cuts
another man in half and almost immediately crashes his plane into the side of a mountain. In the
end, the air and Pianosia are just another part of the book that Heller uses for his satirical writing
and his illogical and belligerent themes.
The characters and setting both do a very well job at emphasizing these themes and
developing the plot, but the narration of the story contributes something else all in its own
manner. The narration of Catch-22 is a third-person point of view that fluctuates between limited
and omniscient. The interesting thing about this novel is that the narration is never really static;
the point of view can change between seeing a piece from one of the characters perspectives, or
gathering information from a third-person outside of the party, or even assessing the situation
from a third person omniscient point of view with all worthy information. Not only does Heller
alter point of view in his narration, but he manipulates time. Catch-22 is constantly changing
between present and past experiences and time, making superb and common use of flashback.
Such structural devices as parallelism, doubling, and most important- repetition, force the
reader to share Yossarians perpetual sense of dj vu The ultimate goal of such devices is to
reinforce the novels main themes (Magill 1334). This constant alteration between points of

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view and time coincide with the main ideas of Catch-22. Usually, the structure of a story is from
beginning to end from one specific point of view chronologically. Heller does not follow this
structure, and instead approaches the story from multiple points of view at varying times. The
themes in Catch-22 essentially reflect this because it is seemingly illogical, although it does not
negatively impact the book in any way. Hellers ability to incorporate this subject in the narration
of his story is just one example of how his writing equally, if not more, stresses his ideals.
Hellers ability to write the way he does allows him to work so much deeper with his
ideas. An idea as simple as symbolism can give the reader tremendous support in the reasoning
behind a piece of the book. For example, take the solider in white. On the surface, the solider in
white is a man who is bandaged from head to toe, with only an opening for his mouth.
Throughout the story, he is nameless and faceless, and after he dies, is replaced by an identical
soldier in white. This is a direct symbolic reference to how the bureaucracy treats its people; they
are just another body, who they truly are does not matter. Going even further, the first soldier in
white is found to be dead in his cast only after the nurse casually takes his temperature. This may
also be a symbol as to the bureaucracy not even caring whether of not its citizens are well and
cared for. Hellers attack of the bureaucracy is evident in even more places than the soldier in
white.
The name Washington Irving appears throughout the novel. Yossarian first pens the name
while censoring letters in the hospital, then Major Major pens the name on official documents
that do not return to him. Using the penname Washington Irving seems to be more of an allegory
than a symbol. This allegory would reflect the treatment of the people by the bureaucracy. The
allegory resembles how the bureaucracy treats the people like just another name on the list,
nothing more. Similar to the soldier in white as described above; the solider is a nameless and

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faceless person that does not matter much beyond his presence in the room. Heller does an
excellent job in drawing these relations among the story and real world understandings.
Writing in the novel, like Washington Irvings name, is not nearly as prevalent as the
dialogue of the characters. The very repetitive and often confusing dialogue used between the
characters is another successful literary device harnessed by Heller. Yossarians argument with
Clevinger is a prime example of this. Yossarian is arguing that everyone is trying to kill him,
Clevinger explains they are trying to kill everyone, and the argument continues like that. It ends
up very confusing but does follow some sense. Yossarian wonders what the difference between
shooting everyone and trying to kill him is, which is odd, but make sense. This is exactly the
logic, or lack of logic, and confusing theme taken into the whole work.
Hellers ability to write using all of these techniques and devices allows him to create his
very own specific tone. Catch-22 is essentially a satirical, dark-humored, paradoxical novel,
emphasizing the satire. Heller does an excellent job of using his satire to attack capitalism,
bureaucracy, and confusing language. Throughout the novel, the tone changes from one
expression to another, whether it is lighthearted joking between the men or heart wrenching
passages of Yossarian caring for a dying friend, just like the war itself. The soldiers are joking
with each other in one section, then being blown to bits and dying in the next. Tone plays a big
role in the feeling the reader draws from the material. Heller does an excellent job of portraying
these feelings to the reader by altering and exaggerating the tone in his work.
Tone is not the only characteristic of the writing that Heller has the ability to personalize.
Heller makes use of specific types and forms of diction. Despite the dialogue of the characters
being very conversational, Heller engages very formal and very concrete diction throughout
Catch-22. For example, The chaplain raised his eyes quickly in obsequious commiseration

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(Heller 205). Heller also uses concrete words such as: putrescent, effulgent, farinaceous,
callipygian, and insouciant. There may be more than one logical explanation for Hellers use of
such intense, challenging words. To begin with, Heller is a very intellectual man. He studied at a
very prestigious university and obtained a masters degree in English, therefore these words may
just be part of his regular vocabulary. On the contrary, Catch-22 is a very satirical, dark humored
novel in which Heller is comical. So, these words may be used by Heller in order to achieve
some level of word play or word comic. Not these selected words, but other words allow Heller
to reach some pun related humor. In essence, Heller uses specific diction to accentuate a certain
piece of language.
Tone and diction are very important to a writer, but Hellers writing style is crucial in
relation to the working of the novel as one member. Probably the most noticeable piece of
writing style in Catch-22 is repetition. This novel is extremely repetitive, so much that some
readers may find it a tad bit irritating. Heller employs all types of repetition, long and short.
Whether it is a name, such as Major Major Major Major, or an event, such as the constant
flashback to Snowdens death, repetition influences the thoughts of the reader greatly. Each and
every time a concept is repeated, the reader will develop a new and deeper more involved
understanding of that concept. Also because the novel alters time often enough to where it may
become confusing, these repetitions can be helpful to understanding what is going on at a certain
point and helpful to understanding what is important. Hellers repetition can also be associated
with the circular logic, or rather paradoxical logic, of Catch-22. Take the name Major Major
Major Major. The over repetition of Major leaves one thinking just how could that happen. The
purpose of the title Major is essentially defeating itself through the use of it over and over again.

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This is just like the rule Catch-22, the logic just defeats itself. This repetition may be considered
the highlight of Hellers novel because it is so crucial and so relevant.
The single most repeated part of the entire novel has to be Catch-22 rule, or rather the
varying versions of it as it applies to different people. The Catch-22 rule is, quite simply, circular
logic that traps whoever is affected by it in a paradox. The catch rule appears more in the novel
than some would even care to notice, probably because some are more blatant than others. The
Catch-22 keeps soldiers in service even though they are put into extreme danger. Dialogue
between characters is often circular or contradictory, following that same motive of the Catch.
More subtly, the doctors and chaplains are forced to work for the war, even though their true goal
is to work against what war causes. Whether evident or not, these paradoxical rules are scattered
throughout the novel repeated a multitude of times.
The only other part of Hellers writing style that has the potential to surpass the repetition
in importance and relevance would be his satire. Satire is defined as the use of humor, irony, or
exaggeration as an attack on human follies or vices. Heller attacks a multitude of subjects
through his employment of satire, which results in the dark humor of the novel itself. As stated
earlier, Heller satirizes the capitalist state, the absurd power of the bureaucracy and the
ineffectiveness of language and communication, essentially language itself. The capitalist state is
satirized chiefly through Milo Minderbender; the dark humor protrudes from bombing himself
for money. Heller knows the threat of an ever increasing capitalist state and shows how he is
most definitely not in support of it. The absurd power of the bureaucracy is satirized when,
literal truth and the falsified bureaucratic version of reality clash head-on in the strange figure
of the soldier in white, a powerful image of anonymity (Walsh 1643). The language itself is
satirized through the world play and oxymorons used throughout the novel. It may seem odd to

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some readers, but Heller does in fact attack language. He attacks the language used in the Army
because leaders maintain their power through a mixed assortment of words. Heller shows his
dissatisfaction by satirizing the language, those who use it, use.
Working with the satire used throughout the novel, and just like the paradoxical
references to the different Catch-22s throughout the novel, Heller uses many types of irony in
his story. Although Catch-22 is considered a dark humored novel, not every piece of the work is
humorous. Hellers satire is an attempt to make it funny, but the work can be heart wrenching at
times. Throughout most of the book, irony is prevalent where there is satire, but even more so
when the material is not funny. For example, the situation with Lieutenant Mudd. The Lieutenant
came to camp and was sent out on a mission almost immediately after his arrival. Leaving
behind his belongings, he flies out on the mission and is killed in action. Because Mudd never
originally checked in and he is not there, his belongings cannot be processed, and therefore his
belongings have never arrived to the camp. This may be seen as a satirical attack of the military,
but nothing is really humorous about it, rather it is sad, tragic, and heartbreaking. Instead, this
small portion would be potentially described as ironic. All of this irony is the characterization of
contradictory elements, which, in essence, is the Catch-22 rule. Heller makes use of irony
throughout the entire novel as yet another allusion to the main theme of the ill logic of certain
language.
It is quite clear why Catch-22 is listed as one of the top novels of the 20th Century. Heller
does an excellent job of exhausting a multitude of literary devices throughout his entire work.
Catch-22 withholds the use of all types of characters to develop his plot. Yossarian as a
protagonist is attempting to save his own life, but is put back into danger by the antagonist
Colonel Cathcart. The setting on the island of Pianosia and the altering narration both add to the

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main theme of the novel. Hellers writing techniques also add meaning and understanding to the
work. Symbolism relates concepts from the book to separate ideas, while an allegory can make a
direct connection between ideas. Hellers specific tone, style, and structure allow the story to
take the shape and theme intended. In essence, Catch-22 is a satirical novel that was brilliantly
written with the use of countless literary devices and techniques.

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Works Cited
Bradbury, Malcolm, Eric Mottram, and Jean Franco. "Heller, Joseph." The Penguin Companion
to American Literature. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1971. 119-20. Print.
Heller, Joseph. Catch-22. New York: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks, 2004. Print.
"Joseph Heller." World Literature Criticism 1500 to the Present A Selection of Major Authors
from Gale's Literary Criticism Series. Ed. James P. Draper. Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale
Research, 1992. 1628-630. Print.
Magill, Frank N., Dayton Kohler, and Laurence W. Mazzeno, eds. Masterplots Revised Second
Edition. Vol. 2. Pasadena, CA: Salem, 1996. 1003-1006. Print.
Magill, Frank N. "Joseph Heller." Critical Survey of Long Fiction: English Language Series. Vol.
4. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Salem, 1983. 1329-336. Print.
Walsh, Jeffery. "Joseph Heller." World Literature Criticism: 1500 to the Present: A Selection of
Major Authors from Gale's Literary Criticism Series. Ed. James P. Draper. Vol. 3. Detroit:
Gale Research, 1992. 1642-644. Print.

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