Catch 22 Analysis Essay
Fiction Analysis of Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Setting: A. Time period – World War II (1939-1945) B. Place – Pianosa, a small island off the coast of Italy C. Time Sequence – Most of Catch-22 is told out of sequence, with events from the past mixed in with events from the present. However, the book settles into a more chronological order as it approaches its end. D. Standards of Behavior – The social expectations are supposed to be in accordance to military tradition. But, the characters do not always conform to expected social behaviors.
Characters:
Yossarian – The protagonist of the novel, Yossarian is a captain and a lead bombardier in his squadron. However, he hates the war, and his powerful desire to live leads …show more content…
For instance, General Peckem’s rivalry with General Dreedle takes up most of his time and energy, time and energy he should be spending on the war effort. Another good example is Lieutenant Scheisskopf. Instead of training his military men for combat, he focuses all his attention on parades. It seems that no one is concerned with the larger implications of war.
3. Life is fragile. ( Throughout the entire novel the fragility of life is shown through the deaths of many of the members of Yossarian’s squadron. Mudd arrives on the base and is killed two hours later on his first mission; Snowden dies In Yossarian’s arms with his entrails splattered all over the floor of a plane; Kid Sampson is killed by McWatt in a ghastly accident; Clevinger disappears in cloud. A single gunshot can end a life; an incurable disease can end a life; flak can end a life. The message: life is breakable.
Point of view:
A. The story is told in third person omniscient.
B. The narrator, although seemingly to have neither a positive attitude nor a negative attitude toward the characters, always makes the reader aware of how outrageously bizarre the characters and situations
Setting: A. Time period – World War II (1939-1945) B. Place – Pianosa, a small island off the coast of Italy C. Time Sequence – Most of Catch-22 is told out of sequence, with events from the past mixed in with events from the present. However, the book settles into a more chronological order as it approaches its end. D. Standards of Behavior – The social expectations are supposed to be in accordance to military tradition. But, the characters do not always conform to expected social behaviors.
Characters:
Yossarian – The protagonist of the novel, Yossarian is a captain and a lead bombardier in his squadron. However, he hates the war, and his powerful desire to live leads …show more content…
For instance, General Peckem’s rivalry with General Dreedle takes up most of his time and energy, time and energy he should be spending on the war effort. Another good example is Lieutenant Scheisskopf. Instead of training his military men for combat, he focuses all his attention on parades. It seems that no one is concerned with the larger implications of war.
3. Life is fragile. ( Throughout the entire novel the fragility of life is shown through the deaths of many of the members of Yossarian’s squadron. Mudd arrives on the base and is killed two hours later on his first mission; Snowden dies In Yossarian’s arms with his entrails splattered all over the floor of a plane; Kid Sampson is killed by McWatt in a ghastly accident; Clevinger disappears in cloud. A single gunshot can end a life; an incurable disease can end a life; flak can end a life. The message: life is breakable.
Point of view:
A. The story is told in third person omniscient.
B. The narrator, although seemingly to have neither a positive attitude nor a negative attitude toward the characters, always makes the reader aware of how outrageously bizarre the characters and situations