Catch 22 Themes

Joseph Heller grew up in New Deal America and he matured as a bombardier during World War II. Catch-22 is about the struggle for life as a soldier during World War II. However, consider the fact that Catch-22 was not written by a 19 year old Heller during his tour overseas. It was begun in 1953 and not published for some years later at the birth of what is now known simply as the 60 's. The themes of Catch-22, specifically the uselessness of bureaucracy when dealing with large amounts of death, the struggle of an individual to assert the value of his life, and the Catch-22 itself all have their counterparts in 1950-60s America. Catch-22 asks two questions: Is the deadly power of the American military machine excessive in the face of the cause

In further retaliation, Major Major Major Major was not allowed to sign these documents in an effort to make him look disloyal to the war effort and to America. The result is that the men of the squadron could not do the simplest things, including eat in the mess hall without going through a long bureaucratic process. “Without realizing how it had come about, the combat men in the squadron discovered themselves dominated by the administrators appointed to serve them...When they voiced objection, Captain Black replied that people who were loyal would not mind signing all the loyalty oaths they had to.“ The loyalty oaths increased in absurdity over time to include recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance and chorus after chorus of the Star-Spangled Banner. Captain Black’s superiors, aware of the trouble caused by the unnecessary and excessive use of administrative force, decided that it was best to let Captain Black tire himself out and send him a letter of support in hopes of calming his

Those in charge continued their crusades for freedom and democracy it would seem, with little regard to the value of the lives they were sacrificing. While there was no direct conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union, the manipulation of power and the use of loopholes in policy still managed to result in the deaths of American troops as can be seen in the Containment policy and later the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution. There are many instances of the seemingly useless sacrifices made for the war-effort throughout Catch-22, one of which is ex P.F.C. Wintergreen whose punishment it is to dig holes and then refill them however Colonel Cathcart was the best symbol for anti-war soldiers and civilians who believed that the Korean War, and later the Vietnam war were unnecessary and illogical escalations of violence