Catch 22- Insanity vs. Sanity
Catch-22
Insanity vs. Sanity
Imagine being stuck in a box with absolutely no way out. Everyday becomes another struggle to escape only to find that you are being controlled and confined for no apparent reason. One would eventually let reality slip through their hands and welcome insanity into their empty minds. This is the life of the men in the novel Catch-22, by Joseph Heller. Catch-22 introduces a world were sanity and insanity have switch places, were the logical man is pronounced crazy and the insane man is pronounced a hero. In the novel Catch-22, the theme that is portrayed is that it is impossible to live as a sane person in an insane world. Heller supports this theme with the use of situations that happen to the main character Yossarian, the mind-boggling regulation called Catch-22 and the enlisted men.
Set in a World War Two American bomber squadron in Pianosa, Italy, Catch-22 is the story of Captain John Yossarian. Joseph Heller uses various examples of Yossarian trying to remain sane even though the rest of the men have lost their minds. In his attempts to be sensible, Yossarian is seen as a madman among the rest of the men. An example of this is when Yossarian refused to wear his uniform and decided to walk around naked. While talking to Yossarian, Milo asks why he is not wearing his uniform
only to get the response of, “I don’t want to” (Heller 242). Many people think Yossarian has lost his mind but in reality, Yossarian is not satisfied with what the uniform stands for. Too many of his good friends have died and he no longer wanted any part of it. Furthermore, it is seen that because of the war, Yossarian suffers from an extreme case of paranoia. Heller narrates that, “Yossarian’s symptoms [were] an unreasonable belief that everybody around him was crazy…an unfounded suspicion that people hated him and were conspiring to kill him” (Heller 29). Yossarian believes that
Insanity vs. Sanity
Imagine being stuck in a box with absolutely no way out. Everyday becomes another struggle to escape only to find that you are being controlled and confined for no apparent reason. One would eventually let reality slip through their hands and welcome insanity into their empty minds. This is the life of the men in the novel Catch-22, by Joseph Heller. Catch-22 introduces a world were sanity and insanity have switch places, were the logical man is pronounced crazy and the insane man is pronounced a hero. In the novel Catch-22, the theme that is portrayed is that it is impossible to live as a sane person in an insane world. Heller supports this theme with the use of situations that happen to the main character Yossarian, the mind-boggling regulation called Catch-22 and the enlisted men.
Set in a World War Two American bomber squadron in Pianosa, Italy, Catch-22 is the story of Captain John Yossarian. Joseph Heller uses various examples of Yossarian trying to remain sane even though the rest of the men have lost their minds. In his attempts to be sensible, Yossarian is seen as a madman among the rest of the men. An example of this is when Yossarian refused to wear his uniform and decided to walk around naked. While talking to Yossarian, Milo asks why he is not wearing his uniform
only to get the response of, “I don’t want to” (Heller 242). Many people think Yossarian has lost his mind but in reality, Yossarian is not satisfied with what the uniform stands for. Too many of his good friends have died and he no longer wanted any part of it. Furthermore, it is seen that because of the war, Yossarian suffers from an extreme case of paranoia. Heller narrates that, “Yossarian’s symptoms [were] an unreasonable belief that everybody around him was crazy…an unfounded suspicion that people hated him and were conspiring to kill him” (Heller 29). Yossarian believes that