Essay on the Evils of Capitalism Exposed in Catch-22

Evils of Capitalism Exposed in Catch-22

"That's some catch, that Catch-22" (47). Some catch indeed, for Catch-22 "is the best there is" (47). A strange paradox preventing men from being grounded under any circumstances, Catch-22 eventually evolves into a justification for doing virtually anything. After all, it "says [anyone] can do anything [that] we can't stop them from doing" (416). A less obviously stated, but equally powerful, validation for one's actions is the guarantee of profit. "It [is] odd how many wrongs leaving money [seems] to right" (418), for the promise or presence of some form of profit, rights even the wrongs warranted by Catch-22. Milo Minderbinder takes full advantage of this powerful reasoning and uses it extremely well. Yet, rather than using it to right wrongs, Milo uses it to justify his own dastardly deeds. Therefore, throughout Catch-22, Milo's capitalistic greed leads him to be an emblem evil.

Milo spends most of his time in the army traveling Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in search of the best deal. With the use of "donated army equipment" (239) he buys and sells various items in order to make the highest profit. Rather than fly missions, Milo seeks to make money, capitalizing on his time abroad. After all, Milo "didn't start this war...[he's] just trying to put it on a businesslike basis" (262). This attitude leads Milo to begin a syndicate, one in which "everybody has a share" (238-239). This proposed arrangement keeps everyone at ease, so much so it leads to general sloth. Because "everybody [has] a share, ...men [get] fat and [move] about tamely with toothpicks in their greasy lips" (259). One by one, the men succumb to the charms of plenty as well as to their internal greed...

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...avoids and resists many things that bring him closer to death or to violating his morals. Be it Aarfy, Colonel Cathcart, or war itself, Yossarian distances himself from the evil in question. Ironically, defiant as he is, Yossarian fails to break through the limitations of the syndicate and actually befriends its proprietor. Yossarian doesn't even attempt to do otherwise, for even he "sagged back in a contented stupor, his mouth filmy with a succulent residue" (22); Yossarian had become one of the men who "got fat and moved about with toothpicks in their greasy lips" (259). Therefore, even he who refuses to conform to other standards is corrupted by the sweet blandishments and innocent appearance of capitalism. The novel thus ends on the note that no one remains free from so powerful a force.

Works Cited

Heller, Joseph. Catch-22. New York: Knopf, Inc., 1995.