In Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, much of the satire is being directed toward the military, military high command to be specific. Such is the case for the constant increase in the number of flight missions throughout the book. From 50 missions at the beginning of the book to 80 at the end, the increase never ceased and they were often increased for odd reasons. For example, when Kid Sampson and McWatt die, “Colonel Cathcart was so upset […] he raised the missions to sixty-five” (Heller 339) and “he increased the number of missions to seventy” (Heller 340) after being informed of Doc Daneeka’s “death.” The logical reaction to having people within your squadron dying would be to decrease the number of required missions, ensuring the safety of your
