CATCH22

And he criticizes blind patriotism as seen in Nately, Appleby, and Clevinger. It is important to note that these attitudes applied far more readily to the 1950's than to World War II. Catch-22 is set in World War II; in many ways, it serves as an outlet for Heller's own experiences in the war. (Kiley, p.103) After the war, soldiers returned home to a country that did not want to hear about their experiences. Most felt stifled because they feared how others might react to the gruesomeness of the war. (Adams, pp. 149-151) Indeed, the war was the most horrific event to date, and few Americans wanted to dwell on it. So Heller's novel seems inappropriate, yet at the same time necessary: it made clear the fact that the war was not all glory and honor, but was a bloody, gut-wrenching mess. (Potts, p.22) Indeed, throughout the novel, men die in often gruesome ways, many times for little or no reason at all. This was Heller's condemnation of war: it is the ultimate farce, the furthest of human endeavors from necessity. (Potts, p. 47) In short, war is stupid. People die stupidly, from stupid causes, in stupid situations, by stupid mistakes. It is almost laughable except that it is not at all funny. This is what Heller gets across in some 400 pages of death, despair, and otherwise pointless existence. (Kiley, pp. 208-214) Beyond its importance as a novel about the war, Catch-22 also lambastes the blind conformity to social norms of the 1950's. This unthinking loyalty to the "American way,"" he suggests, puts too much power in the hands of those cynical enough to exploit the impressionability of the masses. (Kiley, pp. 242-263) Indeed, this seemed to be the case during the Eisenhower years. Senator McCarthy's Communist witch-hunts, ruthless business practices at the expense of the public, and the social pressure to "keep up with the Joneses- driving mass consumerism, all illustrated this danger. (Christie, pp.