Catch-22: An Anti-War Novel

Book Review # 1954

Literature > American

An analysis of Joseph Heller's novel, "Catch 22".

3,825 words () | 7 sources | 2001 Canada

Paper Summary:

This paper is an analysis of Joseph Heller's anti-war novel, "Catch-22". It begins with a look at the character of the anti-hero Yossarian. Characters are looked at in relation to the novel's themes of power and greed, as well as profit. The use of satire is examined. The paper concludes with the writer's view of what Heller was trying to say in his novel.

From the Paper:

"Catch-22 is a novel that entirely takes place at war. Even though the book is filled with comedy, it describes the physical and emotional pain of war. The novel shows us how people are changed by war and how their focuses are changed through different experiences. Catch " 22 breaks the rules of a standard anti " war novel, which shocks this statement into the reader. Through different and sudden time changes, the reader is almost tricked to laugh at certain situations that later are revealed to be quite serious and emotional. The reader doesn't realize what they are laughing at until the novel is completed and Heller's true vision is revealed. Catch " 22 is an "alternative, requiring not only a high order of poetic vision but also a willingness to shock, to challenge, to spit in your audience's eye, is what goes currently under the label of the Absurd. This encompasses farce, gibberish, surrealism and even that sub-branch of show-business called "sick humor"." There are many themes in the novel, which frame the anti-war theme. Greed for power and money and the corruption of soldiers in the novel all tell us how evil war really is. Heller uses satire in order to get the point across from a rather comedic standpoint."