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Catch-22 Analysis

 

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             The irony of Catch-22 by Heller greatly illustrates the black humor and the appalling effects of war. The end of The Glorious Loyalty Oath is particularly ironic. The basic denial of food unless they sign the oath makes no sense to Major de Coverly. Captain Black thought that The Glorious Loyalty Oath was a challenge but he kept signing more loyalty oath, every time he forged ahead of his competitors, he swung on them scornfully for their failure to follow him. Who ever did not sign the Oath where bullied, insulted, harassed and they were denied food (Heller 183). Ironically, Captain Black brings upon his own destruction when he invites Major de Coverly. Strangely enough, the Major is described as a god with a white hair and Jehovean bearing. Figuratively speaking, he does act as a god when he saves the entire squadron from the dangerous clutches of Captain Black. The major effects of war are illustrated when The Glorious Loyalty Oath is signed and when they said if you do not sign the Oath there will be no food given. This affects the war in a great deal because it becomes very harsh to the people that are fighting in the war without food. .
             Humor is also reflected through the characterization of Colonel Cathcart as a grotesque and horrendous Colonel. Much of the verbal humor is Heller's stable obsession with characterization, as when Colonel Cathcart tells his men to attend a U.S.O. show. " Now men, don't misunderstand me I"d be the last Colonel in the world to order you to go to that U.S.O. show and have a good time, but I want everyone of you who isn't sick enough to be in the hospital to got to that U.S.O. show right now and have a good time, and that's and order!" (Heller 334). The humor that Heller shows is implied by a hyperbole. He shows the exaggeration when he the colonel says even if you are sick you have to go to the U.S.O. and after that he tells them to have a good time. " Some indication of the mixture of horror and hilarity appears in the example cited.


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