Yossarian's Ventures in the Air Force

Yossarian was a hero for his intellect and reasoning beyond any of his fellow officers and enlisted men. He began as a brave, bold bombardier. But he began to wonder why the people who were dying had to die. But more importantly, he question what they were truly fighting for. This was something most of the country was too afraid, or perhaps too ignorant, to do. Some may think Yossarian is a coward. He constantly admits himself into the hospital to avoid flying whenever the missions are raised. Instead of committing to any one girl, perhaps like Nately, he sleeps around and avoids any sort of emotional risk. Also, he takes evasive action whenever he is in the sky, rather than hit any target that is actually instructed to take out. These small traits however, when compared to his larger, more significant actions, hardly make him a “coward.” One must not forget that Yossarian started his ventures in the Air Force with just as much bravery and enthusiasm as anyone else. “Yossarian came in carefully on his second bomb run because he was brave then.” (Heller 146) This was changed after causing the death of one of his friends, Kraft, and Kraft’s entire flight crew. He had killed several of his own men, and for what? This marked the beginning of Yossarian’s intellectual journey. Yossarian seems to be one of the few, if not the only, person able to understand the way the war is working. “If I were to give up my life now, it wouldn’t be for my country. It would be for Cathcart and Korn.” (Heller 456) The way they had been fighting, especially with officers such as Colonel Cathcart, whom was more interested in putting “feathers in his cap” and steering clear of “black eyes” than actually protecting his men or even winning the war. “There’s one colonel who's hardly concerned anymore with whether he hits the target or not” (Heller 335). Yossarian was a valiant, intelligent man who eventually learned to break free from the façade that seemed to fool everyone else. He