War is what we use to justify protecting our countries' ways of life. It's glorious, because each time we reduce our enemies to a pile of ash, we reveal to the world all the potential wrongdoings and injustices that could have been dealt to us if we had kept them around. War also a phenomenal source of profit, and in today's capitalist society, everybody wants a "share" of that. Ironically, our pursuit of peace is also a yearning for continued conflict. We exist in a system that prioritizes power and profit over human life and encourages the continuance of war, a corrupt dynamic between our bureaucracies and capitalism known as the military-industrial complex. Joseph Heller criticizes all levels of this complex in his wartime satire Catch- 22 through Milo Minderbinder, a businessman who excises no moral boundaries in his insane and fatal pursuit of profit. Milo's true evil is demonstrated by his complicity in betraying his comrades, corruption of cultural ethics/ideals, and protective rationalization of war- all to satiate his endless (and symbolic) corporate greed.
Heller characterizes Milo Minderbinder as a conniving businessman that personifies capitalism's rampant, abysmal greed and influence through his Syndicate. Much like modern day corporations, he has an "honest, frank face" (63), though with crooked features such as an awkward nose and a mismatched mustache. Milo is initially introduced as a relatively unassuming mess officer, but his greed is hinted at by his obsession with expanding the squadron's cafeteria options. He is analogous to the modern day entrepreneur due to his resourcefulness, and he eventually manages to turn his Syndicate into an international entity capable of powering entire economies. Like Yossarian, Milo is able to partially see through the political charades of the war. He could "see more things than most people, but he could see none of them too distinctly", since his vision is obscured by ambition and greed.
In 1961, Joseph Heller published Catch-22, his first novel. Based on his own war experiences, the novel wickedly satirized bureaucracy, patriotism, and all manner of traditional American ideals. This was reflective of the increasing disdain for traditional viewpoints that was growing in America at...
On the opposite end of the spectrum from the chaplain are Colonel Cathcart and Milo Minderbinder, two characters whose immoral and selfish imperatives lead them to attain material success. ... Another such powerful person on the island is Milo Minderbinder. ... After the bombing, Heller writes, "This time Milo had gone too far. ... Decent people everywhere were affronted, and Milo was all washed up until he opened his books to the public and disclosed the tremendous profit he had made- (Heller 269). ... The material success of both Milo and Cathcart, two of the most immoral characters in the n...
Another very important subplot is that of Milo Minderbinder. Milo is the mess officer of the squadron, and is constantly borrowing planes and pilots to run a syndicate of food and trade throughout Europe. ... Milo still profits greatly from all of the companies that he trades with, and even more so because he owns all the companies that are trading through him. Milo is almost worshiped by communities all over Europe, for his enterprise has brought profit to everywhere that he trades. ...
The story revolves around an aging mystery writer named Andrew Wyke and his wife's lover Milo Tindle. ... The Inspector combs through the house and finds incriminating evidence, he tells Wyke he is under arrest for the murder of Milo Tindle. Then Doppler short for Doppelganger takes off his disguise to reveal himself as Milo Tindle. ...
Milo Minderbinder is representative of corporate business. ... Milo lands a "contract with the Germans, ...to bomb his own outfit. Milo's planes separated in a well-coordinated attack and bombed the fuel-stocks...and the B-25 bombers"(Heller, 252). ...
It had his wife Gala, in the top left corner with statues of Venus de Milo all throughout the painting. When I looked a little closer I could see the face of a toreador in the second statue of Venus de Milo holding a red cape on the side of him that is the dress of the first Venus de Milo statue. The content of The Hallucinogenic Toreador decipher where the toreador was hidden throughout the images of Venus de Milo. ...
