The amusing one-liners, quick-witted comebacks, and heated debates about absolutely nothing form the basis of the comedic element. Yossarian’s unnecessary nudity, Major Major Major Major’s limited availability, and the old man’s odd amount of witty

“‘I never saw anything funny that wasn’t terrible. If it causes pain, it’s funny; if it doesn’t it isn’t.’ The humor in Catch-22, we are forced to conclude, is only secondary. Where Heller comes through in unalleviated horror is where the message lies. The book’s humor does not alleviate the horror; it heightens it by contrast” (197).

One of the other options for the reasoning behind comedy in this novel is that it simply is the truth. Some may feel that the war is actually funny, and things are actually occurring as they are written. John Muste argues that Heller drew from humorous war novels of the past, such as Mister Roberts (1946) or All the Ships at Sea (1950). Those books have a common character line up consisting of an overwhelmed, cruel, and nearly insane, senior officer; the naïve young man, either a hero or a fool for wanting to fight; the chaplain; and the good officer. The only real difference is that Heller’s “young man” wants to get out of the fighting instead of into it. Muste continues that Heller has united a humorous war novel with a very serious theme. That theme is that war is “incomp-rehensibly chaotic.” This chaos again adds to the aforementioned lack of congruity, and then brings about that ever-striving laugh or chuckle. To go along with that, perhaps laughter is the only way to escape from the malignant world, a world similar to the nightlife of Rome (Brustein). Rome is generally considered to be a very romantic city, with love and happiness all around. The sudden influx of soldiers and money however, has turned it into a place of horrors, filled with mobs carrying clubs that are in control everywhere (Heller 425).

“‘What would they do to me,’ he asked in confidential tones, ‘if I refused to fly them?’

Constant contradictions to past sayings and actions, given by officers and innocent bystanders of the war are prevalent in Catch-22 as well. These contradictions are the basis of the title and add to the chaotic humor. “Doc Daneeka was Yossarian's friend and would do just about nothing in his power to help him” (Heller 37). If that statement had read “…Yossarian’s friend, but would do just about nothing…” it would be a perfectl

Some topics in this essay:
Doc Daneeka, Robert Merril, War II, Ships Sea, Air Corps, Avery Pennarun, Daneeka Yossarian's, Louis Hasely, Heller…” Pennarum, Brustein Rome, humor catch-22, soldier white, air corps, army air corps, comedic element, purpose humor, book progresses, major major, 3rd party, ex-pfc wintergreen, harsh reality, purpose humor catch-22,