At first glance the reader has no choice to assume that Yossarian is insane. But, then the picture becomes more clear. Yossarian wants the people to believe that he is insane. His insanity is a mask in order to fool the people around him so that he could be sent home from the war. He believed that if he came across as insane no one would ever let him fly any further missions due ti the potential risk this posed to himself and the people around him. He appeared to be insane, but in reality, he was planning to get out of the army through this feigned insanity.
Second, Yossarian continues his tradition of insanity during a discussion with Clevinger. Yossarian's goal is to promote his feelings of insanity to other people. While at a bar Clevinger decides to snap on Yossarian and yells, "You have no respect for excessive authority or obsolete traditions. You're dangerous and depraved, and you ought to be taken outside and shot!"(309). This demonstrates how Yossarian was successful in promoting his appearance of insanity. He chooses to set off Clevinger because he is a high-ranking official, who may have some say in wether Yossarian stays or leaves. He continues to appear insane to the other people around him in his attempt to go home. He is doing this to confuse the people around he wants to make sure that his case is ambiguous and that the only option is to send him home. This continues to prove Yossarians insanity.
Third, Yossarian still needs to prove his insanity so that he can get something back in return. He needs to make up in his mind about what to do about his insanity. Yossarian thinks to himself, "You know, that might be the answer - to act boastfully about something I ought to be ashamed of. That's a trick that never seems to fail(149)". He is now trying to pull out all the stops so that he can gain something in return. He is convincing himself about how to go about being insane. His mask of insanity is used so that he can leave Pianosa, it is his only option.
Satire is defined as "prose or verse that employs wit in the form of irony, innuendo, or outright derision to expose human wickedness and folly." Satire abounds in many forms and situations in Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. He satirizes the human condition in war and capitalism, but Heller's most poigna...
I would have to say that Joseph Heller's Catch-22, was at least enjoyable to read. ... The idea of a Catch-22 is interesting. ... He is cursing Catch-22, although he doesn't believe in it. There is no real explanation for Catch-22, that's the catch. It can only be defined as Catch-22. ...
"Catch 22," by Joseph Heller, however, does the opposite. Set during World War II, "Catch 22" depicts a story that, in my opinion, is more believable. ... While reading "Catch 22," I found myself thwarted by the misuse of power. ... Probably the best example of this unjustness is the Catch 22 itself. ... The novel "Catch 22" clearly defines several aspects of war that are not usually accepted and are often unheard of. ...
Catch-22 is a novel that discusses the sheer insanity that accompanies the participants of war. ... As Yossarian discovers, "Catch-22 did not exist...but it made no difference. ... Catch-22 takes many forms, but the central one is that you don't have to fly any more missions if you"re crazy, but you have to ask first, and anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn't crazy (Young). ... He is confused by the concept of "Catch-22" and can not comprehend it. He is placed in a "catch-22" situation when he attempts to leave the war by telling his commander that he has gone insane. ...
Robert Merril says, "Heller has in fact divided Catch-22 into three parts."" ... Constant contradictions to past sayings and actions, given by officers and innocent bystanders of the war are prevalent in Catch-22 as well. ... The title alone even hints toward a funny bit here and there, as a catch-22 is a contradiction all in itself. ... The closing is a quote from a critique written by Louis Hasely that perfectly states the true purpose of humor in Catch-22... The humor in Catch-22, we are forced to conclude, is only secondary. ...
Lack of Chronology in Catch 22 Catch-22 has much passion, comic and fervent, but it gasps for want of craft and sensibility. ... The plot of this story is based around the title, Catch-22. ... Yossarian asks if they had Catch-22 written down and if they showed it to her, and she says that Catch-22 stipulates that they don't have to show her Catch-22. ... This is a Catch-22 in its self, and again gains the confidence of the reader. that Catch-22 is the authors" main theme, without using the examples in any certain chronology. ... This example of Catch-22 is not in chronolog...
In his World War II novel, Catch-22, Joseph Heller satirizes a variety of bureaucrats and the military-industrial complex. ... Pilots, bombardiers and navigators can only gain removal from the war should they invoke catch 22, which states that people found to be insane cannot fly, but which also states that only crazy people would want to fly so if you ask to be relived from this duty then you must automatically be quite sane, and sane people fly. Since Yossarian cannot be removed from the war because of catch 22, he attempts to escape missions using several strategies. ... In Catch-22, ...
Joseph Heller the author of Catch-22 says, "The only freedom we really have is the freedom to say no." ... The book Catch -22 is a good example of interpreting this statement, in a way of someone saying no to authority. ... The book Catch-22 incorporates this interpretation of that statement very well. ...
Joseph Heller's outrageously funny and very affecting novel Catch-22 is a perfect example. ... Heller's past is very evident throughout Catch-22. ... Catch-22 is a social satire that utilizes dark humor. ... Furthermore, the main character in Catch-22, Yossarian, is essentially based on Heller himself. ... It is fairly obvious why Catch-22 became so meaningful to people in the 1960s. ...
