Catch 22 :: essays research papers

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller is an interesting novel in the fact that through surface theentire novel the plot seems to go nowhere. It just seems to be a bunch of events strungto pretendher through the main shell Yossarian. These events, however powerful, dontseem to lead to much of a point, until the reader finishes. Then, forbidden of nowhere, comesthe meaning behind the book. Heller does a great job of ending the book. By havingYossarian run away the meaning of the book is set in stone. Catch-22 is a novel whichdiscusses the fact that the importance or value of one thing to one person, could becompletely different to another, like in the cases of selling goods all over human life withex-P.F.C. wintergreen, Milo Minderbinder with his wheeling and dealing and DocDaneeka and his description of what it takes to get home. Each character in the novelseems to throw a certain way in which they judge their power, importance, worth and/orduty. Throughout the entire book, the only charac ter that resembles someone with goodopinions of himself is Yossarian. He appears to be the only character that realizes theinsignificance the war effort is because almost all the people in the novel are fighting forthe wrong reason. He says, Am I supposed to get my ass shot off just because thecolonel wants to be a general?. Other characters, like ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen respond toquestions with answer that seem to make no sense. In the case where Yossarian isrequesting that Wintergreen get them off the flight to Bologna because they will probablydie, Wintergreen comes back with the unbelievable answer Then youll have to bekilled. ...if your destined to be killed over bologna, then youre going to be killed, so youmight just as well go out and die like a man. I hate to say this, Yossarian, but youreturning into a chronic complainer. The importance of life is gone. Ex-P.F.C.Wintergreen is more concerned about peddling his goods throughout the war then he isabout the life of a friend. An other strange character in the story was Milo Minderbinder.The person originally brought in to run the mess hall, who later had his own business, M& M Enterprises, in which he handd things in fix up to gain stuff for himself. Hecollected stuff, like art and sculptures, that would be really valuable after the war. Theonly problem with this, is that it got to the point that he would trade things valuable to the