Catch 22: What’s Fair Isn’t Fair
Honest, patriotic, heroic and virtuous are words which, unfortunately, come to many people’s mind whenever the subject of the military and its personnel comes up. Venerable generals, courageous colonels, and laudable lieutenants receive heroes' welcomes as they return from war to their respective countries. They are deserving of this, are they not? After all, anyone who goes overseas, dismisses personal welfare, and has the rare blend of fearlessness and audacity to send men into battle all for the for the sake of his country is deserving of reverence. In the novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, we learn this commonly held belief may be largely (if not entirely) off-base. Through the ...
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and well-learned, Heller offers a different perspective. Major Major Major, Scheisskoph and co. share one common characteristic: they are more fit to be clowns than leaders. Through portraying Major Major Major as an inefficient Major (he is unwilling to meet with those who wish to see him) whose promotion was a direct result of his name, one is inclined to believe those in military leadership actually do not belong in their respective position. Bomb patterns, parades, and success of mess halls may send a person up the military ladder while more efficient persons may be mired in meaningless positions. This motif is displayed in almost all cases, whether it be Cathcart’s loyalty oaths, Scheisskoph’s parades, or aspiring for aerial photos.
Because the stupidity motif is shown repeatedly, it would be nearly impossible to examine all cases. However, a significant part of Heller’s view on the military personnel can be summed up in the space of one scene. As Yossarian takes his medal in ...
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the "lower" (in terms of status) officers do not see respond to their superiors’ (and I use that term loosely) deficiencies. Danby comments, "we’ve got to have some confidence in the people above who issue our orders." As a result, wars can be fought, parades can be marched, Catch-22 can be enforced, and gums can be painted purple. The enlisted men are a victim of their own miserable faith. The incompetency of the military leaders is only one small part of which makes them utterly odious. Belonging to the military, it is only natural people expect them to place winning the war (although I hardly consider murdering innocent people a definition of victory) number one on their ...
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"Catch 22: What’s Fair Isn’t Fair." Essayworld.com. April 27, 2007. Accessed April 27, 2024. http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Catch-22-Whats-Fair-Isnt-Fair/64005.
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