Monday, March 7, 2011
Ubiquitous Relevance
Joseph Heller’s historical fiction Catch-22 depicts the story of protagonist John Yossarian, a bombardier for the Air Force. In a bureaucratic state of the military, Yossarian as well as the other soldiers are subjugated in an almost inhumane way, where their rights are taken advantage of and soldiers are as replaceable as light bulbs. The sarcastic and satirical humor interlaced within provides a lighthearted break from the mind-numbing horror that they are subject to. I was enchanted in the beginning, with the paradise-like state Yossarian was in while at the hospital. The humor grabbed my attention and the mistrusted feeling provided by the war itself sparked me back to a place of realism. The casual vulgarity was almost charming, as you learned more about each character. A few things that didn’t really sit well with me were the logical discrepancies some of the characters experienced. Why would Yossarian claim to be insane, as only a sane person would make such a claim to get out of battle? The differences in what people say and what people do, as is portrayed when Milo Minderbinder says “everyone has a share,” displays mistrust and a sense of communism. These all-to-real situations the soldiers face are almost too uncomfortable to read. Nevertheless, a humorous remark or section of witty banter among men breaks the tension. A significant piece to this novel was the overarching theme of disillusionment, as is seen from the bureaucratic standpoint of authority to the chocolate covered cotton balls that Milo tries to sell. It is this disillusionment that many of the “lost generation” experience, the promise of something underneath the fluff, when all one gets is deception. The satirical yet realistic natures of this novel paint a wonderful foreground to the characters and setting that Heller artfully creates. The unique style and tone contributed to a piece with relevance in the ubiquitous aspects of society, war, and mistrust.
A Rosetta Stone of Sorts
The novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller exemplifies the nature of World War II and the men that fight and risk their lives for the protection of their country. A text-to-text connection can be made with the novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Remarque, a similar story in the setting of the Great War, on the western front of Germany. Both novels portray the lives of young men in battle and the hardships they must face in doing so. The two novels both express a nature of the “lost generation”, or rather the young men who enter battle. They are forced into adulthood and experience the horrific nature of battle, the friends they lose, and the haunting gore that many battles have. As is referenced in All Quiet on the Western Front, many men of the lost generation develop Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder later on in life due to their experiences in war.
Catch-22 also captures a text-to-world connection as the subject of war affects society in all of its forms. All of the soldiers are each their own person with different backgrounds, political viewpoints, and stories to tell. It serves as an example of the human plight of survival, as the protagonist Yossarian refuses to die. The soldiers all represent the people as a whole with different varying aspects (some religious, some not, etc.) that show who they are. The levels of authority are represented through colonels, generals, etc. as it is similar in the workplace (manager, CEO, etc.). The constant mention of prostitutes examine the human need for sexual relations, and the search of better alternative is shown when Yossarian escapes to the neutral country Sweden. This novel almost serves as a microcosm in which we can learn from, observe, and teach off of.
Catch-22 also captures a text-to-world connection as the subject of war affects society in all of its forms. All of the soldiers are each their own person with different backgrounds, political viewpoints, and stories to tell. It serves as an example of the human plight of survival, as the protagonist Yossarian refuses to die. The soldiers all represent the people as a whole with different varying aspects (some religious, some not, etc.) that show who they are. The levels of authority are represented through colonels, generals, etc. as it is similar in the workplace (manager, CEO, etc.). The constant mention of prostitutes examine the human need for sexual relations, and the search of better alternative is shown when Yossarian escapes to the neutral country Sweden. This novel almost serves as a microcosm in which we can learn from, observe, and teach off of.
Syntax for the Ages
• Joseph Heller’s style is often sarcastically humorous, conveying a sense of the humor seen and practiced by many of the military’s soldiers. “Appleby was as good at shooting crap as he was at playing Ping-Pong, and he was as good at playing Ping-Pong as he was at everything else. Everything Appleby did, he did well. Appleby was a fair-haired boy from Iowa who believed in God, Motherhood and the American Way of Life, without ever thinking about any of them, and everybody who knew him liked him. ‘I hate that son of a bitch,’ Yossarian growled” (27). It is this type of sarcasm and irony that helps exhibit Heller’s style, the humorous tone of the situation, and the purpose of illustrating inter-soldier relations.
• The same type of humor is displayed even in purposefully serious situations. “’A second ago you were stepping into college with your lungs full of fresh air. Today you’re an old man’… ‘You’re inches away from death every time you go on a mission. How much older can you be at your age? A half minute before that you were stepping into high school, and an unhooked brassiere was as close you ever hoped to get to Paradise’” (48). Heller addresses the disenchanted views of the lost generation and intersperses humor to augment the situation. This syntax helps display the Americana style during World War II, the hard-hitting tone of realism that the young men experience, and the purpose of adding a tinge of cynicism with the realities of war and the rite of passage that comes with age.
• The simplistic, vulgar nature of speaking also displays a more casual syntax. “’That stinking little punk wise-guy son of a bitch ain’t afraid of nobody’” (52). This creates a vivacious style with a strong tone. The purpose is to illustrate the personalities that Yossarian, Milo, and the other men portray.
• The same type of humor is displayed even in purposefully serious situations. “’A second ago you were stepping into college with your lungs full of fresh air. Today you’re an old man’… ‘You’re inches away from death every time you go on a mission. How much older can you be at your age? A half minute before that you were stepping into high school, and an unhooked brassiere was as close you ever hoped to get to Paradise’” (48). Heller addresses the disenchanted views of the lost generation and intersperses humor to augment the situation. This syntax helps display the Americana style during World War II, the hard-hitting tone of realism that the young men experience, and the purpose of adding a tinge of cynicism with the realities of war and the rite of passage that comes with age.
• The simplistic, vulgar nature of speaking also displays a more casual syntax. “’That stinking little punk wise-guy son of a bitch ain’t afraid of nobody’” (52). This creates a vivacious style with a strong tone. The purpose is to illustrate the personalities that Yossarian, Milo, and the other men portray.
An Extreme Diction with Extreme Tones
• Joseph Heller uses a characteristic type of diction that is high and formal when narrating, yet uses a more casual, low to medium type of diction in dialogue to emphasize the militaristic jargon and level of formality. The use of words like “infundibuliform,” “apoplectic,” and “exultantly” while also using “lumpy,” “snotnose,” and “slam-bang” suggest just this. This creates a stern, yet lighthearted tone that the reader infers is characteristic of being in the military, or rather while being stationed and prepared for battle. It is almost paradoxical; fun yet serious, humorous yet hauntingly psychological.
• Joseph Heller uses a casual, medium diction as well, referring to William Shakespeare as “Bill Shakespeare” and using folksy similes like “strong as an ox”. This illustrates a tone that is immersible in the style of the informal soldier. It denotes a somewhat playful nature among the soldiers, keeping the camaraderie alive among them. It helps display the youth, virility, and strength that the majority of these men have, three major characteristics that men in battle have.
• A serious tone is achieved when using adjectives like “diffident” and “conciliating” that describes the men greatly. This clever use of adjectives helps illustrate the various characters, whether shy or agreeable. It creates a more mature prose and tone that typically would not be achieved with excessively formal or informal diction. This helps develop each character as its own, creating a deeper, richer storyline that greatly enhances the serious tone that Heller is trying to achieve.
• Joseph Heller uses a casual, medium diction as well, referring to William Shakespeare as “Bill Shakespeare” and using folksy similes like “strong as an ox”. This illustrates a tone that is immersible in the style of the informal soldier. It denotes a somewhat playful nature among the soldiers, keeping the camaraderie alive among them. It helps display the youth, virility, and strength that the majority of these men have, three major characteristics that men in battle have.
• A serious tone is achieved when using adjectives like “diffident” and “conciliating” that describes the men greatly. This clever use of adjectives helps illustrate the various characters, whether shy or agreeable. It creates a more mature prose and tone that typically would not be achieved with excessively formal or informal diction. This helps develop each character as its own, creating a deeper, richer storyline that greatly enhances the serious tone that Heller is trying to achieve.
Rhetorical Strategies and other tasty bits of literary gold.
• Parallelism: “Each morning they came around, three brisk and serious men with efficient mouths and inefficient eyes” (15).
• Imagery: “There was nothing funny about living like a bum in a tent in Pianosa between fat mountains behind him and a placid blue sea in front that could back to gulp down a person with a cramp in the twinkling of an eye and ship him back to shore three days later, all charges paid, bloated, blue and putrescent, water draining out through both cold nostrils” (26).
• Metaphor: “Doc Daneeka was unmoved. He was a sad, birdlike man with the spatulate face and scrubbed, tapering features of a well-groomed rat” (30).
• Imagery: “The administration area in which Hungry Joe had pitched his tent by mistake lay in the center of the squadron between the ditch, witch its rusted railroad tracks, and the tilted black bituminous road” (35-36).
• Simile: “The line was taut as a banjo string, and the merest tug would snap it on and blind the shivering quarry in a blaze of light” (39).
In Joseph Heller’s historical fiction Catch-22, the effects of war on the human psyche are illustrated. Juxtaposing tongue-in-cheek humor with ultra-realistic horror, Heller is able to capture the essence of the military. Heller uses parallelism in the beginning to emphasize the fact that these doctors are able to articulate things well, but fail to see what is truly happening in war. Numerous examples of imagery capture war in all of its characteristics, from sinking depression to a simple humorous gesture. A metaphor highlights a volta when Yossarian leaves the luxurious feast to learn that the colonel had added more missions to the itinerary. A simile suggests a feeling of patriotism when referencing the banjo, characteristic of Americana. Heller uses these rhetorical strategies to exhibit the effects of war.
• Imagery: “There was nothing funny about living like a bum in a tent in Pianosa between fat mountains behind him and a placid blue sea in front that could back to gulp down a person with a cramp in the twinkling of an eye and ship him back to shore three days later, all charges paid, bloated, blue and putrescent, water draining out through both cold nostrils” (26).
• Metaphor: “Doc Daneeka was unmoved. He was a sad, birdlike man with the spatulate face and scrubbed, tapering features of a well-groomed rat” (30).
• Imagery: “The administration area in which Hungry Joe had pitched his tent by mistake lay in the center of the squadron between the ditch, witch its rusted railroad tracks, and the tilted black bituminous road” (35-36).
• Simile: “The line was taut as a banjo string, and the merest tug would snap it on and blind the shivering quarry in a blaze of light” (39).
In Joseph Heller’s historical fiction Catch-22, the effects of war on the human psyche are illustrated. Juxtaposing tongue-in-cheek humor with ultra-realistic horror, Heller is able to capture the essence of the military. Heller uses parallelism in the beginning to emphasize the fact that these doctors are able to articulate things well, but fail to see what is truly happening in war. Numerous examples of imagery capture war in all of its characteristics, from sinking depression to a simple humorous gesture. A metaphor highlights a volta when Yossarian leaves the luxurious feast to learn that the colonel had added more missions to the itinerary. A simile suggests a feeling of patriotism when referencing the banjo, characteristic of Americana. Heller uses these rhetorical strategies to exhibit the effects of war.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)