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Great pieces of literature are influenced by their authors life and the times in which they were written. These two factors combine to make literature that is both entertaining and meaningful to readers. Joseph Hellers outrageously funny and very affecting novel Catch- 22 is a perfect example. Heller draws on his past and alludes to events happening during the time in which he wrote to create what the Chicago Sun-Times called an apocalyptic masterpiece.
Hellers past is very evident throughout Catch- 22. Joseph Heller grew up in Coney Island, New York, a town famous for its carnival atmosphere and attractions (Biography 1). This environment led to Hellers satirical and darkly humorous attitude evident in his own life and especially in his writing. Catch- 22 is a social satire that utilizes dark humor. In one instance Heller makes a point by joking about death. In his novel he makes the army unable to recognize that Mudd is dead and Doc is alive because they have more faith in the militarys records than the reality of one live body and one dead body (Miller 43).
Furthermore, the main character in Catch- 22, Yossarian, is essentially based on Heller himself. Heller flew as a bombardier on some sixty combat missions for the U. S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He was stationed on the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean Sea (Moss 66). Similarly, Yossarian is a bombardier during WWII who also is stationed on an island in the Mediterranean Sea (Miller 5). It is through Yossarian that Heller conveys a sense of his own experience in war and his own fear of dying in combat. The realism and entertaining effect brought by Hellers use of his own experiences attracted an unlikely audience to his anti-war novel, WWII veterans. Critics said of this, To veterans of World War II, it was a hilarious reminder of the chaos and disorder that seemed always to hover just beneath the structured surface of military life. To them it was the way things were and it poked fun at the military, it was simply stating the obvious, not grinding an ax (Catch- 22 1).
Heller writes humorously of a fight, He called me a wise guy and punched me right in the nose. What are you a wise guy? he said, and Pow! Just like that. This interpretation is easily supported as the book is very light hearted and funny. While Catch- 22 takes place in 1944, in it Heller makes frequent allusions to events in America in the 1950 s, when he wrote the novel.
He uses anachronisms such as computers and helicopters to make people think of the Korean War as well as World War II. Heller thought that the Cold War era was far from being an ideal, peaceful time and was filled with tensions and paranoia (Telgen 104). Allusions to the 1950 s consume the book. A C. I. D. (a representative of the CIA) accuses the Chaplain of hiding documents in a plum tomato stolen from Cathcarts office (Heller 209).
In this instance, Heller was drawing upon the story of real-life state department official Alger Hiss, who was accused of hiding secret documents in a hollowed out pumpkin. Heller has Captain Black start a loyalty oath crusade in reference to that of Senator McCarthy in the 1950 s and Chief Halfoat make references to being red talking about communism, not skin color (Telgen 104). When Milo declares, whats good for the syndicate is good for the country, Heller is alluding to a member of President Eisenhower's cabinet, who said, Whats good for General Motors is good for the country (Telgen 104). These allusions to the corruptness of the government large corporations were the ideas that Americans would come to question in the 1960 s. The satirical allusions present in the novel make it significant to readers.
Most of the readers in the 1960 s responded well to Hellers celebration of the individual and satire of institutions such as the government, military and business corporations (Telgen 104). Yossarian stands up against corrupt superiors, recognizes the hypocrisy of the army, and makes up his own mind on how to respond to his situation in war (Miller 16). These themes became a crucial part of the zeitgeist, spirit of the age, in the 1960 s. American youth began to question the idea that American institutions and politicians were completely trustworthy and free from corruption. With the start of the controversial Vietnam War, Americans began to ask themselves why Americans were being sent to die and why nobody in power seemed to care (Telgen 104).
It is fairly obvious why Catch- 22 became so meaningful to people in the 1960 s. People were going through the same things Yossarian goes through in the novel. The two factors that make Catch- 22 a successful novel are its entertaining humor and underlying significance. These two things come from Joseph Hellers ability to draw from his past and make allusions to events happening at the time he is writing.
This combination results in a brilliant piece of modern literature that many different kinds of people can appreciate. Works Cited Biography of Joseph Heller. Classicnotes. com.
January 24, 2004. < web joseph heller. html> Catch- 22: Author Biography. Enotes. com. January 24, 2004. web Catch 22 Illustrates Antiwar Sentiment, 1961.
DISCovering World History. Online Edition. Gale, 2003. Reproduced in Student Resource Center. Detroit: Gale, 2004. < web > Heller, Joseph. Catch- 22.
Simon & Schuster, 1989. Miller, Margaret. Sparknotes: Catch- 22. Spark Publishing 2002. Moss, Joyce, George Wilson. Catch- 22.
Literature and Its Times. Vol. 5. 66 - 72. Detroit: Gale, 1997. Telgen, Diane.
Catch- 22. Novels for Students Volume 1. (1997): 89 - 107. Detroit: Gale, 1997.
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