Tails I win, heads you loose: The struggle to keep the faith
Religion has been a part of our society for thousands of years. In one-way or another, there has always been the belief, even among the earliest homosapiens, that a higher spiritual being watches over humanity. Throughout the ages it is believed that this higher spiritual being helps and guides people to the true path to happiness and well-being. The author Joseph Heller includes a chaplain, Albert Tappman, as a character in his novel Catch-22. A chaplain is by definition a minister or representative of religious tradition and they are usually attached to institutions like hospitals, prisons or military units. Joseph Heller, in his postmodernist novel Catch-22, portrays Chaplain Tappman as a kind, gentle and sensitive man who worries constantly about his wife and children at home. The Chaplain is used by Heller to explain the struggle of a believer, the importance of solid beliefs and how far a person’s faith can be shaken. Heller once said, “I wasn’t interested in …show more content…
Cathcart wishes to start saying the prayers because he thinks it will get him mentions in the Saturday Evening Post. Later on he desists of the idea when he hears that enlisted men will have to be included along with the officers. By asking to exclude religion from the prayers, the Colonel shows that he is interested in religion only as a tool for his own advancement. As far as he is concerned, actual faith in God has nothing to do with the Chaplain’s purpose. This is a ridiculous, far-fetched idea that only a non-believer could conceive. The chaplain’s explains that prayers must involve be somber in tone and must make at least some passing reference to God, to which Colonel Cathcart replies “Then let’s get new ones.” The insensitivity and faithlessness the Chaplain has to deal with has no limits in this squadron.
Religion has been a part of our society for thousands of years. In one-way or another, there has always been the belief, even among the earliest homosapiens, that a higher spiritual being watches over humanity. Throughout the ages it is believed that this higher spiritual being helps and guides people to the true path to happiness and well-being. The author Joseph Heller includes a chaplain, Albert Tappman, as a character in his novel Catch-22. A chaplain is by definition a minister or representative of religious tradition and they are usually attached to institutions like hospitals, prisons or military units. Joseph Heller, in his postmodernist novel Catch-22, portrays Chaplain Tappman as a kind, gentle and sensitive man who worries constantly about his wife and children at home. The Chaplain is used by Heller to explain the struggle of a believer, the importance of solid beliefs and how far a person’s faith can be shaken. Heller once said, “I wasn’t interested in …show more content…
Cathcart wishes to start saying the prayers because he thinks it will get him mentions in the Saturday Evening Post. Later on he desists of the idea when he hears that enlisted men will have to be included along with the officers. By asking to exclude religion from the prayers, the Colonel shows that he is interested in religion only as a tool for his own advancement. As far as he is concerned, actual faith in God has nothing to do with the Chaplain’s purpose. This is a ridiculous, far-fetched idea that only a non-believer could conceive. The chaplain’s explains that prayers must involve be somber in tone and must make at least some passing reference to God, to which Colonel Cathcart replies “Then let’s get new ones.” The insensitivity and faithlessness the Chaplain has to deal with has no limits in this squadron.