Catch-22 distinctly depicts a certain loss of individuality among the soldiers of Pianosa. Although the book starts with a variety of characters, who take part in different activities that enrich their community, it shows a pattern of slowly diminishing individuality

A similar situation can be seen in the manner which Cathcart treats his squadron. He does not value the lives of his men, but even more frightening, he places them in high-risk situations for personal gain without once thinking of the consequence of losing his soldiers. The soldiers have little value and are readily replaceable in the army. In Cathcart’s eyes, the soldiers of Pianosa are no different from each other, because they serve to accomplish only one thing, to fly missions. This can clearly be seen every time Cathcart decides to increase the number of missions to gain recognition for having flown the most missions. Cathcart views the soldiers as mere stepping stones along his path towards fame, all serving a soul purpose to advance him in the military world. The belief that soldiers are easily replaceable serves to show that all of the soldiers are the same in the eyes of those in charge. Each soldier has no individuality, serving as vesicles of war. Through this portrayal, Heller points out that people today too often follow a norm or accept rules that categorize them, making them nothing more than statistics and names.

Heller, through Catch-22, depicts today’s world and satirizes much of its faults. One of the more pronounced themes in the book centers on a certain loss to human individuality. Catch-22 creates many scenes that clearly present this loss in its many aspects. In general, the soldiers of Pianosa are looked upon as a ready supply of man power for the war as opposed to different individuals with different skills and ambitions. Through viewing all of the soldiers as simple replaceable robots of war with only one purpose, those in charge do not come to value their lives. Those in charge also come to abuse the soldiers to gain personal fame and success. Heller portrays the evils of today’s society through the lives of fictional characters in World War II, showing that the themes of the book, even that of overlooking one’s individuality, are universal and can happen. The book serves as a reminder and a warning to its readers to strive to better the world from deviating from the flaws portrayed in Catch-22.

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