Catch 22 Satire

“There was only one catch, and that was Catch-22” (Heller 46). This quote captures the one reason John Yossarian, a bombardier in the Air Force, is unable to leave the service. Catch-22 has multiple clauses, including that a soldier must follow the orders of his supervisors, and cannot be relieved of duty until he has completed the required number of missions (Heller 58). Moreover, the most prominent problem for Yossarian is that every time he is close to finishing the number of missions he must fly, his supervisors raise the amount that he must complete. As the number of missions is raised, the men begin to cause problems in an attempt to prevent having to fly the missions. The circular nature of this clause shows the absurdities of military

life as well as the problems with capitalism (Nagel). Joseph Heller satirizes bureaucracy and capitalism through his use of Yossarian as an anti-hero, black/angry humor, and the characterization of other major and minor characters in Catch-22.
Captain John Yossarian possesses this aggressiveness, lack of morality, and courage characteristic of an anti-hero, stemming from a desire to stay alive as long as possible (Nagel). Major Sanderson diagnoses Yossarian, saying, “‘You have a morbid aversion to dying... You have deep-seated survival anxieties… It wouldn’t surprise me if you’re a manic-depressive!’” (Heller 303). This quote is important because it tells the reader why Yossarian is so aggressive and dishonest: he will do whatever it takes to stay alive. Clevinger also explains Yossarian’s behavior: “...a homicidal impulse to machine-gun strangers, retrospective falsification, and an unfounded suspicion that people hated him and were conspiring to kill him” (Heller 20). Along with this quote, Heller provides multiple other examples of Yossarian’s aggressiveness, including punching Nately in the nose on Thanksgiving and attempting to strangle McWatt during a mission (Heller 333). His aggression is a response to the insanity he is surrounded by, in an attempt to distance himself from facing the realities of his life (Nagel). Heller’s belief that there is “no pattern of reason left in the world” is evident through Yossarian’s hostility, a result of his inability to accept the illogical world in which he lives (Nagel). Yossarian also lacks morality, exhibited through his poisoning of the mashed potatoes with soap and tampering with the bomb lines, both an attempt to prevent flying over Bologna (Heller 64). In addition, he sleeps with multiple women throughout the novel, including Scheisskopf’s wife (Heller 178). Yossarian’s lack of morality is another coping mechanism against the insanity of his world; both he and his squadron spend excessive amounts of time in harems, trying to forget about the war. Despite this, Yossarian does show courage when in dangerous situations. For example, when Snowden is dying in the back of the plane, Yossarian does everything he can to prevent him from dying (Heller 437). He is unable to, though, as Milo stole the medical supplies and sold them, one example of the humor used in Catch-22.
Heller often uses angry or “black” humor to create the absurdities which expose the underlying issues in the military and capitalism.

This use of humor is able to make these institutions seem ridiculous to the reader, as explained in the following quote: “The humor of Catch-22 is not the gentle entertainment of comedy but the harsh derision and directed social attack of satire” (Nagel). One example this satire in the military is the two C.I.D. men separately investigating the same problem: someone using the alias Washington Irving while signing documents. The men are oblivious to each others presence and both present multiple unfounded accusations (Heller 95). Furthermore, one of the men even proposes, “Maybe we’re confronted with a gang, with two men working together who just happen to have opposite names… One of them here in the squadron, one of them up at the hospital, one of them with the chaplain…” (Heller 94). This quote is humorous because it shows the incompetency of these military investigators, previously believed to be quick-witted and shrewd. Similarly, the decision to launch this investigation into something so trivial is absurd in itself, contributing to Heller’s direct attack on the military. Another example of the author using humor for criticism of the military is catch-22, the paradoxical catch that prevents Yossarian and the other men from leaving the service. Doc Daneeka explains it, saying, “...You have to follow every order. That’s the catch. So even if

the colonel were disobeying a(n)... Air Force order by making you fly more missions, you’d still have to fly them…” (Heller 58). Daneeka’s explanation shows the reader that catch-22 is fundamentally used as a safety net for the military; not only does it keep the men in service, but it also says, as an old lady puts it, “...they have a right to do anything we cannot stop them from doing” (Heller 407). This ominous quote is followed by Yossarian finding out that the military does not have to show catch-22 to anyone, with the justification being, once again, catch-22 (Heller 408). Circular logic lapses into such absurdity that it almost causes the reader to laugh; the military is so corrupt that it has created laws that allow the men to do whatever they wish with no consequences, a point that Heller emphasizes considerably.
The other way in which Heller uses humor is is to expose the problems with capitalism, most notably seen in M&M Enterprises, the syndicate owned by Milo Minderbinder.

Milo “...takes essential supplies from the planes but says that because everyone has a “share” in his business, it’s for their own good” (Catch-22). This quote only touches the surface of the problem; Milo will take anything he thinks he can make a profit on, from the syrettes of morphine in the medical case to the carbon-dioxide cylinders in the life jackets (Heller 436). This greed for power and wealth causes him to partake in multiple dishonest and deceptive schemes, like stealing and contracting with the enemy, which he claims are for the good of the people. Consequently, he is considered by some to be a “modern reincarnation of Defoe’s economic man,” and justifies his actions in “classical business terms” (Nagel). Throughout the war, M&M Enterprises has the autonomy to fly wherever Milo needs and trade with whomever he wishes, be it an ally or an enemy (Heller 135). This free trade between warring countries eventually leads to Milo’s contracting with the Germans to bomb his own squadron (Heller 105). The main problem with Milo is that he only cares about his wealth; he was the one who came up with the idea to bomb his own squadron and thought nothing of it. Accordingly, citizens everywhere were appalled by this, but only until he opened his books to reveal the profit he made; since everyone owned a share,

they were accepting of his actions (Heller 259). Milo’s fixation on profit causes him to lose his conscience throughout the course of the novel, demonstrating Heller’s statement about the effects of capitalism upon the individual.
Each character in Catch-22 is associated with an aspect of society Heller is criticizing, most clearly seen through Milo’s greed and Colonel Cathcart’s stupidity (Nagel). Milo is “...Heller’s symbol of capitalism at its most corrupt as well as its most powerful” (Catch-22). Through this quote, the reader sees that Heller creates him as being able to make a profit off of anything, from feeding the men chocolate-covered cotton to selling supplies to the Germans (Nagel). The problem with Milo’s actions is that they are interfering with the war and actually hindering the performance of his own military. Furthermore, is greed causes him to engage in behavior that most would consider immoral and corrupt, all the while not caring about the effects his actions could have on anyone else. Milo’s selfishness eventually leads him into contracting with both sides to “...simultaneously attack and defend target sites, which leads to the death of many men” (Catch-22). This quote summarizes how Milo’ greed transforms him from a hard-working idealist into a corrupt businessman, willing to do whatever is necessary to turn a profit (Solomon). Another character Heller creates as a criticism of a personality trait is Colonel Cathcart (Nagel). In an futile attempt to gain a promotion, “...Cathcart keeps raising the number of missions the men must fly before getting rotated” (Catch-22). Cathcart continuously raises the required number of missions not out of concern for the performance of the military, but out of hope for a promotion he will never achieve (Catch-22). At one point, he considers that he may have gone too far, but then realizes, “...forcing his men to fly more missions than everyone else was the most tangible achievement he had going for him” (Heller 214). This complete disregard for the safety of his men exhibits the stupidity which Heller is criticizing; Cathcart is audacious in his strategies but cowardly in regard to everything else (Heller 187). Therefore, his self-absorption catches him in a trap; he is unable to requisition the necessary number of replacement crews without raising questions, which is why the men are unable to be rotated (Heller 442). Overall, Heller is able to successfully satirize these personality traits through his use of Milo and Cathcart, both symbols of military corruption and blind ambition (Catch-22).