Catch-22 Satire Essay

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The Consistency of Inconsistency The army-green monotone and the straight lines of marching men are seemingly impenetrable in their decisive rigidness. And yet, the fleeting tendencies of the mind and the faltering trends of action that are apparent in every individual say otherwise. In the novel Catch-22, author Joseph Heller uses the acceptance of satirical incongruences in situation, character, and action, not only to point out the inane decisions and absolute absurdity of the military, but also to highlight the indecisiveness and inconsistency that characterize humanity as a whole. The incongruences in situation and circumstance are seen throughout the novel, illogical arguments and blatant contradictions frequently accepted as truth. The most obvious irrationality in the book occurs in all of the ‘Catch-22’ situations, twisted logic and seemingly impossible situations seen as general rules. This is clearly illustrated in the major Catch-22 of the book, the situation in which "[if a soldier] was crazy…[he] could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions" (46). This irrational situation, which is accepted and upheld as a prominent truth, exemplifies the insanity of the military as it accepts confusing paradoxes. Many of the unsound contradictions of the book are clearly evident, the exaggerated irrationality plainly presenting the military as foolish. Yet, Heller also utilizes subtle differences in situation to alert the reader to a more delicate point. For example, the situation in which Colonel Cathcart constantly attempts to please General Dreedle and General Peckem is described meaningfully as “[Cathcart] brooded inconsolably over the terrible ineradicable impressions he knew he kept making on people of prominence who were scarcely aware that he was alive.” (188) This

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