Catch-22 is told from the perspective of Yossarian, a bombardier in the American air force in WW2 who believes everyone is trying to kill him. Yossarian takes the entire war very personally- he doesn’t care about being patriotic or having a sense of duty, and the fact that people are trying to kill lots of other people only serves to fuel his paranoia.
Although the air force only requires soldiers to fly a certain number of missions, the colonel in charge raises the number they are required to fly every time anyone gets close to completing all of them, preventing anyone from going home. As a result of this, Yossarian spends much of the novel either in, or trying to get into, the hospital in order to avoid flying any more missions. He also spends much of the novel haunted by the death of Snowden, a soldier who died in his arms after their plane was hit by flak.
Yossarian is not typical of a protagonist in a war novel; he isn’t a character to be perceived as brave and he’s largely uninterested in saving the lives of others, but has a powerful sense of self preservation. Although he is well liked in his squadron for always taking evasive action when flying over a target, he’s alienated somewhat throughout the novel as most other …show more content…
It is an aggressively anti war novel, constantly and consistently mocking bureaucracy, corruption and red tape within the army. Catch-22 is cited as one of the best examples of black humor, a genre depicting frantic comedy overlaying a narrative of alienation and despair, widespread in the 60s and 70s. It was a strong contrast to the general opinions of the time; when it was published in 1961, America was still celebrating success in the Second World War. This meant it was rejected by many critics at the time and only gained popularity later on, when it was celebrated for its ability to discuss horrifying subjects in a manner humorous enough to not be off
Although the air force only requires soldiers to fly a certain number of missions, the colonel in charge raises the number they are required to fly every time anyone gets close to completing all of them, preventing anyone from going home. As a result of this, Yossarian spends much of the novel either in, or trying to get into, the hospital in order to avoid flying any more missions. He also spends much of the novel haunted by the death of Snowden, a soldier who died in his arms after their plane was hit by flak.
Yossarian is not typical of a protagonist in a war novel; he isn’t a character to be perceived as brave and he’s largely uninterested in saving the lives of others, but has a powerful sense of self preservation. Although he is well liked in his squadron for always taking evasive action when flying over a target, he’s alienated somewhat throughout the novel as most other …show more content…
It is an aggressively anti war novel, constantly and consistently mocking bureaucracy, corruption and red tape within the army. Catch-22 is cited as one of the best examples of black humor, a genre depicting frantic comedy overlaying a narrative of alienation and despair, widespread in the 60s and 70s. It was a strong contrast to the general opinions of the time; when it was published in 1961, America was still celebrating success in the Second World War. This meant it was rejected by many critics at the time and only gained popularity later on, when it was celebrated for its ability to discuss horrifying subjects in a manner humorous enough to not be off