Catch 22 Book Analysis

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Novel Notebook: Catch 22
1. Setting/ Matter: In the novel Catch 22, the main action takes place on the island of Pianosa near France where a squadron of men are trained to fly missions and bomb cities during World War II. Joseph Heller wrote the story to parallel his time serving as a flight pilot on the island Corsica. The matter is exactly the same as the setting, because the book is set in World War II and is also commenting on the nature of war in World War II. The scenery at Pianosa is described as “[a] shallow, dull colored forest,” (Heller 17) which also symbolizes the relatively boring lives of the military men. The job of the soldiers is to complete the same tasks each day, which is very repetitive. This is shown through the island’s …show more content…

Theme/ Atmosphere: A central theme that is focused on in the book is the circular reasoning of Catch 22. The reason this is used by the military is to create a sense of superiority and to trap the soldiers on the island. The reason few people question Catch 22 is because they don’t want to argue with authority. In contrast, Yossarian inquires why the catch is so difficult to escape and is finally able to find a way around it at the end of the book. Another major theme is the corruption of government and military. I think Heller chose to write about this because he also fought in a war and is commenting on the nature of people in these situations. He is also commenting on the day to day activities of war and many of the irrational and inefficient things the military does to keep functioning. The mood of the book is typically grim, because Yossarian is often focused on death and many of his comrades die. Heller in this way is commenting on how death is inevitable and that especially in the military, death doesn’t mean anything. We see this through when Doc Daneeka “dies” and when the man in white in the hospital dies and a new one is brought in. During war, death is not uncommon, and in the novel death helps set the tone of the story. How does each death in Catch 22 impact the meaning of the

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