Catch 22 Morals

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Recommended: American Political Ideologies

Throughout the novel, Catch-22, there is a theme of exposing systems and people for their skewed reality. Heller mainly focuses on the war and American traditions. There are a few characters that Heller employs to represent these ideas like Clevinger, Nately, and Appleby. They represent mom’s apple pie and the good American lifestyle. In chapter 23, Heller is bringing a closer view into one of these characters to expose what an upper-class family that represents these values truly functions as. Nately’s relationship with his father is borderline obsessive. In, Love, Dad Nately religiously follows his father’s advice no matter how ridiculous and contradictory it may be. This “sound” advice includes dictating who he talks to, which schools he …show more content…

As aforementioned Nately was sheltered as he was raised and therefore has never been exposed to the type of person that he is supposed to hate. This is why it’s utterly shocking for him to hear the viewpoints that the old man has, because they are nothing like what he has grown up with. The old man is an opportunist who aligns himself with whichever party will keep him surviving. He also believes that Nately is young and naive for entering the war and that it’s dumb to fight over a country. Nately tries to argue with him but is unsuccessful in even saying the right quote in his defense. All his friends have gone to bed as well, which leaves Nately to fend and think for himself. Again, a concept that he’s not used to. The old man’s ability to sway Nately’s opinions so easily causes him to feel uncertain and intimidated by him. This reiterates how they were not truly Nately’s thoughts in the first place. Another reason that Nately does not like the old man is because of his age. The old man is around the same age as his father which reminds Nately of him whenever he sees the old man. Although, in Nately’s mind he wants to believe that they are complete opposites. The old man is supposedly crude, licentious, looks impoverished, and questions everything. While his father is respectable, cultured, dresses well, and has the answer to

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