How Deceptive Communication Leads to Corruption in Catch-22
Because humans are naturally social creatures, we must communicate information to others in order to maintain a functioning and prosperous society. As human civilization advanced, our communication methods also evolved, from basic primal actions and sounds to whole sets of languages that allow people to express increasingly complex ideas. Our reliance on the information that we exchange with others makes honest and trustworthy communication also a necessary component to a proper society. When this honesty is lost and deceptive messages are sent out, thoughts are misinterpreted and catastrophes can occur. Trustworthy communication is especially important for authoritative figures such …show more content…
In the novel, the so called “Catch-22” is the main loophole that is endorsed by the military and that naturally oppresses soldiers. This rule is used to keep soldiers from escaping missions; for example, “Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to” (46). The air missions the soldiers must fly are considered to be deadly and choosing to fly them equates to suicide. Through this manipulation of words, either of the available outcomes leads the soldier to fly more missions, benefitting the bureaucracy and taking away soldiers’ freedom to choose their fates. Therefore, soldiers are oppressed because they are forced to risk their lives as a result of the military’s misleading and roundabout phrasing. With this humorous yet frightening rule, Heller critiques the corruption and power found in bureaucracies in the real world, which oppress people through confusingly worded legislation that keeps them suffering for the state’s gains. “Catch-22” is created in order to “expose a world of ruthless self-advancement, …show more content…
He is then criticized because to the military, “The men were perfectly content to fly as many missions as we asked as long as they thought they had no alternative. Now [Yossarian has] given them hope and they’re unhappy” (421). Even though missions are depicted as dangerous and undesirable, the official phrases his words so that they are seen as regular and thus preferable by soldiers, and that breaking out of the norm results in the soldiers’ misery. Here, the military suggests innocence for its role in soldiers’ well-being while characterizing Yossarian as the wrongdoer, even though the military perpetrates the soldiers’ suffering by requiring them to fly missions and trapping them with the “Catch-22” rule. By shifting the blame for soldiers’ gloomy conditions onto others through roundabout logic, the military exposes its tendency to deceive people in order to cover up corruption. In addition, an anti-heroic main character such as Yossarian who refuses to act brave, fly missions, and listen to the military’s manipulating rules further illuminates the bureaucracy’s corruption and displays soldiers as victims of oppression. As one who is cognizant of the depravity which governs him, Yossarian is an “open character in a closed society, he must shun everyone to retain his identity: appear naked among the clothed, refuse to acquiesce
Because humans are naturally social creatures, we must communicate information to others in order to maintain a functioning and prosperous society. As human civilization advanced, our communication methods also evolved, from basic primal actions and sounds to whole sets of languages that allow people to express increasingly complex ideas. Our reliance on the information that we exchange with others makes honest and trustworthy communication also a necessary component to a proper society. When this honesty is lost and deceptive messages are sent out, thoughts are misinterpreted and catastrophes can occur. Trustworthy communication is especially important for authoritative figures such …show more content…
In the novel, the so called “Catch-22” is the main loophole that is endorsed by the military and that naturally oppresses soldiers. This rule is used to keep soldiers from escaping missions; for example, “Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to” (46). The air missions the soldiers must fly are considered to be deadly and choosing to fly them equates to suicide. Through this manipulation of words, either of the available outcomes leads the soldier to fly more missions, benefitting the bureaucracy and taking away soldiers’ freedom to choose their fates. Therefore, soldiers are oppressed because they are forced to risk their lives as a result of the military’s misleading and roundabout phrasing. With this humorous yet frightening rule, Heller critiques the corruption and power found in bureaucracies in the real world, which oppress people through confusingly worded legislation that keeps them suffering for the state’s gains. “Catch-22” is created in order to “expose a world of ruthless self-advancement, …show more content…
He is then criticized because to the military, “The men were perfectly content to fly as many missions as we asked as long as they thought they had no alternative. Now [Yossarian has] given them hope and they’re unhappy” (421). Even though missions are depicted as dangerous and undesirable, the official phrases his words so that they are seen as regular and thus preferable by soldiers, and that breaking out of the norm results in the soldiers’ misery. Here, the military suggests innocence for its role in soldiers’ well-being while characterizing Yossarian as the wrongdoer, even though the military perpetrates the soldiers’ suffering by requiring them to fly missions and trapping them with the “Catch-22” rule. By shifting the blame for soldiers’ gloomy conditions onto others through roundabout logic, the military exposes its tendency to deceive people in order to cover up corruption. In addition, an anti-heroic main character such as Yossarian who refuses to act brave, fly missions, and listen to the military’s manipulating rules further illuminates the bureaucracy’s corruption and displays soldiers as victims of oppression. As one who is cognizant of the depravity which governs him, Yossarian is an “open character in a closed society, he must shun everyone to retain his identity: appear naked among the clothed, refuse to acquiesce