Heller's Use Of Humor In Catch 22

Joseph Heller satirizes the hospital, and medical professions overall, throughout Catch-22 so as to draw attention to numerous of issues within the medical realm and to challenge the norm of medical professionals and hospitals. Heller makes use of many different literary and satiric tools to portray the issues within the novel, but more importantly to make a connection to real life issues within the medical world. The satiric angle and comedic relief that the medical world offers within the novel is presented in many different parts and with all different characters, even the beginning of the novel is set in the hospital as Yossarian is being treated for his “diseased liver.” As Yossarian utilizes the hospital as a safe haven to avoid Cathcart’s …show more content…
This medical “absurdity” presented by Heller satirizes the competency of medical professionals and the care they provide. The Soldier in White character allows Heller to comment on the inadequacies of medical professionals while also satirizing the inefficiency of the system as a whole. Not only does Heller utilize the soldier in white to demonstrate his distaste for medicine, but also he calls into question the definition of living by providing this comedic scene so as to demonstrate the larger theme of death and the evasion of death. Aside from the soldier in white, Heller more specifically satirizes medical professionals through Doc Daneeka’s character. Doc Daneeka is known for doing almost everything besides his doctoral duties, he goes so far as to hand them off to the incompetent Gus and Wes. Heller continues to satirize Doc Daneeka in terms of his moral responsibility as a doctor that cares for the well being of others. Daneeka’s selfish attitude is explained when he says, “‘I know a lot of people are going to have to suffer for us to win it. But why must I be one of them?…I don’t want to make