Catch 22 Letters

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Recommended: War's effect on literature

Dear Editor: This letter has been written regarding the inclusion of another key scene in our upcoming novel, Catch-22. I want to include Yossarian’s bomber as a setting as it allows the story to examine the themes of war. Most of the novel is a satire of American bureaucracy during the Second World War, but I still need to have a serious tone when writing about such a sensitive topic. Many of the scenes on board the bomber are also derived from my experiences as a bombardier in the American Army Air Forces in World War Two. By witnessing the death and injuries of my comrades, I have seen just how weak humanity is, and how futile and terrible war can be. The inclusion of the bomber scene is vital in allowing me to describe my experiences and …show more content…

During the bombing over Avignon, Snowden, a soldier on board the bomber, develops a large chest wound after getting hit by flak. Vivid imagery is used to amplify the horror occurring in the bomber: “Yossarian ripped open the snaps of Snowden’s flak suit and hears himself scream wildly as Snowden’s insides slithered down to the floor in a soggy pile and just kept dripping out”. The bomber’s importance reaches its peak here, as it is the very scene where Yossarian fully changes and reaches the shocking revelation that: “Man is matter... Bury him and he'll rot, like other kinds of garbage. The spirit gone, man is garbage.” The slowing of pace and repetition also turns the bomber into a setting of silence and reflection. Snowden constantly tells Yossarian: “I'm cold, I'm cold” as Yossarian replies over and over, “There, there…there, there”, to which there is nothing he could do for Snowden but comfort him. This makes the setting feel very slowed, sombre and depressing, and allows the audience sympathise with Snowden, and come to the realisation that his death was all for nothing. Through this, the readers acknowledge that war is a futile and aimless thing. It is a futile and aimless thing that must not happen again, and the use of the bomber setting is essential to bring this message to a greater

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