An Analysis Of Milo Minderbinder's Catch-22

One notable feature of both novels is the frequent presence of bizarrely ironic situations. In Catch-22, Milo Minderbinder embodies a kind of bizarre capitalistic figure. War represents potential for monetary gain to Milo, who sells products all over the world, always managing to turn a profit despite selling things for less than he pays for them: “Yossarian still didn't understand either how Milo could buy eggs in Malta for seven cents apiece and sell them at a profit in Pianosa for five cents,” (CITATION). He also convinces soldiers to buy from him by saying everyone gets a share via the syndicate: "You'll be paying the money to yourself when you buy from the syndicate, since you'll own a share, so you'll really be getting everything you

It depends primarily on the lack of ability or willingness to challenge its logic. With the “repressive state apparatus” and its underlying threat of violence there is no room for protest, and the ultimate description of catch-22 reveals itself as “Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can’t stop them from doing.” Heller reaches for the grotesque and absurd in order to prove his point:

Similarly, Slaughterhouse-Five runs rampant with absurdly ironic scenarios. Some of the best examples of the novel's ironic black humor are the absurd plights of the hobo and Edgar Derby. A 40-year-old former hobo is captured along with Billy Pilgrim and the other soldiers. Despite the poor conditions, he continuously assures the others that things "ain't so bad,” that he’s been hungrier, and that he’s been in far worse places. Despite his seeming optimism, though, he dies after nine days: On the eighth day, the forty-year-old hobo said to Billy, 'This ain't bad. I can be comfortable anywhere.' 'You can?' said Billy.

On the ninth day, the hobo died. So it goes. His last words were, 'You think this is bad? This ain't bad.’