Lieutenant Mudd In Catch 22

In the novel Catch 22, Joseph Heller utilizes characters who appear very briefly, but have a significant impact on the meaning of the novel. Lieutenant Mudd, for example, is never physically heard from in the novel as a whole, yet his life and death affect every action that takes place. Most people don’t know Mudd’s real name because he is known as “The Dead Man in Yossarian’s Tent.” He died on on his first bomber mission from Pianosa to Orvieto, but because he never officially reported for duty, he wasn’t considered a member of the squadron, and nothing could be done with his belongings. His death greatly impacts the few members of the squadron, such as Yossarian, who were acquainted with him. It got the flies out of Yossarian’s eyes: in this

Prior to meeting Mudd, Yossarian was characterized as the fearless lead bombardier, the one who turned back a second time to make sure the bridge from the Ferrara mission was destroyed in spite of heavy anti-aircraft fire. However, after Mudd dies, Yossarian is never described as a brave, patriotic soldier because he makes it his initiative to steer clear of flying missions. He reached an epiphany that his life was more important than fighting a pointless war. The only people who supported the war were people like Colonel Cathcart and Colonel Korn, both of whom wanted a pretty bomb pattern, and Lieutenant Milo Minderbinder, who only cared for the success of his ever expanding syndicate. In a normal world, a soldier who doesn’t complete his duty, or follow the orders of a superior, would be considered a disobedient coward. However, in Catch 22 the world is inverted – the sane are insane and the insane are sane. Yossarian’s fear of being forgotten because of death, like Mudd, takes over the way he lives. He takes refuge in the hospital for a suspiciously long period of time, claiming his liver is inflicting him pain, making him unfit for combat. Yossarian’s reasonable fear influenced some of his friends like Major Danby, Dunbar, and the Chaplain. Major Danby, encourages Yossarian to run away, giving him enough money to reach Sweden, where Orr snuck away to.

The novel makes it clear that the mortality of the soldiers means nothing to the army as a whole through the fact Mudd’s death went completely unnoticed since his name wasn’t listed on the squadron roster. Even if he were his family would get an impersonal condolence letter from either Cathcart or the Chaplain. Furthermore, Mudd being commonly referred to as “The Dead Man in Yossarian’s Tent” proves the impersonality between soldiers, and the little regard the soldiers have one for another. His death also helps to explain Catch 22, the unwritten phenomenon that controls the actions of every soldier in Pianosa, the paradoxical situation where soldiers can’t go home before they arrive and fulfill their duty. Mudd’s belongings can’t return home because on paper he never really arrived to fulfill his duty, but everyone who heard of him through Yossarian knew he died on his first