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.