Essay on Greed for Power and Money in Catch-22

983 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Psychological impact war has on soldiers

Greed for Power and Money in Catch-22

Although Catch-22 is a novel that entirely takes place at war, the book uses comedy to emphasize the physical and emotional pain of war. The novel shows us how people are changed by war and how their focuses are changed through different experiences. Many of the people in the book are disgusted by their commanding officers and the conditions around them. Joseph Heller served in the war and witnessed crazy occurrences and met strange people like those in the book. By reading the novel, we can see that he strongly disliked war. There are many themes in the novel, two of the main themes are the greed for power and money.

Power greed is a major theme in Catch-22. There are many characters who put others aside for their own gain of power. Perhaps the most notorious power greedy character in the book is Colonel Cathcart. Colonel Cathcart desperately wants to be a major. If he is promoted, he will have much more power, and the power is what he wants. Cathcart is constantly raising the number of missions the pilots and bombardiers must complete to be discharged. Cathcart raises the missions to appeal the commanding officers. The men vehemently hate Cathcart for doing this because it changes their lives. Every time they think they are near being freed from the war, he raises the missions and ruins their plans. The problem with Cathcart is that he is competitive, and only thinks of how he is doing in comparison to how others are doing. He knew that most all men his age were not majors, so his only purpose was to become a major at his young age of 36. He would do anything to those below him to achieve major status.

&nbs...

... middle of paper ...

...plating sticking wire between the men's wrists and hips. He wanted to surgically install copper wiring so that the men did not move their arms while marching, but forgot about it only after realizing that the wire and surgery would cost too much and the men could not fall down drunk at the end of the parade. Scheisskopf thought of the men as toy soldiers that he could manipulate in any way so that he could be the greatest march coordinator ever. He wanted to manipulate them only so he could be famous and move up in rank to General.

. There are many themes in Catch 22, two of the main themes are the greed for power and money. The greed for power and money takes control of many men in this novel. These men are presented to send a clear message. Heller is saying that war is a terrible thing because it corrupts people and confuses them.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Escaping Salem And The Salem Witch Trials

    1101 Words  | 3 Pages

    While most people are familiar with the notorious Salem Witch Trials in 1692, many people are unaware that similar events were taking place in other parts of New England in the very same year. The book, Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692, takes readers through an intriguing narrative of a young girl with claims of being bewitched. Although I was concerned at first about the book being in a narrative style, the author was very concise and used actual evidence from the trial to tell an accurate and interesting story.

    Read More

  • Catch-22, by Joseph Heller

    1368 Words  | 3 Pages

    Catch 22 is a story about the different personalities that can be involved in a war. Out of all the different archetypes, the three I’ve chosen are John Yossarian, Albert Tappman, and Milo Minderbinder, although, not in that order. The first character being analyzed is Yossarian, the unwilling hero of this book. Although the book labels Yossarian as the main character, he constantly tries to coward out of going to battle. The second character that will be described is Milo Minderbinder, the archetypical business person of Catch 22.He runs the camp mess hall and controls what everyone in the camp is buying, selling, and eating. Milo is constantly trying to control or manipulate the economies around him, and after he gets a large commission from Germany to bomb his own camp. This gets him in trouble with every economy he’s dealt with, and in order to “help the syndicate”, he has to give up all of his profit. The last character that will be discussed is Albert Tappman, the Chaplain, who is best known as the corrupted innocence. Although he is one of the main characters, Al is the most neglected and, the least noticed. He receives the most trouble from the other characters in the book such as the daily verbal abuse from Corporal Whitcomb, and the confusing conversations with Colonel Cathcart. By the end of the book, he also begins to question his own faith and starts bringing lies and violence into his life after the death of Nately. Every character has their own story, and by describing three of the most differential archetypes in the story, the main story is explained better.

    Read More

  • Catch-22: “The Last Good War” in All Its Absurdity

    1012 Words  | 3 Pages

    Published in 1961, Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 is a satire of war with a twist. Heller wrote his narrative nonlinearly. Although certain critics described the novel as “disorganized, unreadable and crass”, the mismatched chronology complements Heller’s style of writing and draws the reader’s interest. One key point of Catch-22, the catch-22 paradox, makes use of the nonlinear structure to encircle the reader in the contradictions. In addition, Heller’s style of writing provides a point of viewing different from most novels. While the narrative may seem complex and overwhelming at first, the reader learns to appreciate the subtleties of Heller’s labyrinthine plot.

    Read More

  • Catch 22 Book Analysis

    1213 Words  | 3 Pages

    Theme/ Atmosphere: A central theme that is focused on in the book is the circular reasoning of Catch 22. The reason this is used by the military is to create a sense of superiority and to trap the soldiers on the island. The reason few people question Catch 22 is because they don’t want to argue with authority. In contrast, Yossarian inquires why the catch is so difficult to escape and is finally able to find a way around it at the end of the book. Another major theme is the corruption of government and military. I think Heller chose to write about this because he also fought in a war and is commenting on the nature of people in these situations. He is also commenting on the day to day activities of war and many of the irrational and inefficient things the military does to keep functioning. The mood of the book is typically grim, because Yossarian is often focused on death and many of his comrades die. Heller in this way is commenting on how death is inevitable and that especially in the military, death doesn’t mean anything. We see this through when Doc Daneeka “dies” and when the man in white in the hospital dies and a new one is brought in. During war, death is not uncommon, and in the novel death helps set the tone of the story. How does each death in Catch 22 impact the meaning of the

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Bring Back Flogging

    999 Words  | 2 Pages

    While reading essays, it is usually quite simple to notice when the author is attempting to make the reader agree with what they believe. As shown in “Bring Back Flogging” Jacoby makes convincing points to the reader to believe that capital punishment isn’t working and that we should bring back flogging because of the social problems it is causing. Jacoby uses a couple of different ways to convince to the reader, such as when he says, “Meanwhile, the price, of keeping criminals in cages is appalling – a common estimate is $30,000 per inmate per year”. When reading this line in the essay, you then start thinking about how much money these inmates are taking from tax dollars when it could be going to other things that benefit us such as education. One of the most

    Read More

  • Satirical elements of Catch 22

    1026 Words  | 3 Pages

    What the heck was Heller up to? That is a simple, yet daunting question. In the 1961 novel Catch 22 Joseph Heller was poking fun at not only the United States Army but the entire human race. He often would point out how there was a lot of disorientation in the army and how nine out of ten times no one would know what was going on. Heller being the former veteran he was probably had a few experiences with not knowing what was going on. He himself flew 60 missions and was a bombardier like the main character the novel focuses around Captain John Yossarian. Yossarian is the protagonist of the novel and is focused solely on himself. Heller uses copious amounts of satire to tell his story and explain the bewilderment in the army. He uses a lot of comic allusions to make peoples names mean different things, for instance Lieutenant Scheisskopf actually means shi*t head, and Lieutenant Colonel Korn’s name doesn’t necessarily have a meaning like Scheisskopf’s does but his name still has symbolism built in it. Heller has a twisted sense of humor and the way he went about telling his story made you laugh and often think of people that reminded you of the characters. He not only uses comic allusions to tell his story but often uses dark humor in instances you wouldn’t think are funny. Some of the dark humor Heller uses may be offensive to some but others may view it as comic relief. Throughout the novel Yossarian is trying to get “grounded” so he can go back home but there’s always one catch, catch 22. Catch 22 is a no-win situation, every time Yossarian would try to be grounded the doctor would always bring up this catch. It appeared multiple times throughout the storyline and seemed to follow Yossarian wherever he went. One could view ...

    Read More

  • Themes of Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt vonnegut and Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

    1423 Words  | 3 Pages

    Themes of Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt vonnegut and Catch 22 by Joseph Heller In the books, Slaughter House 5 by Kurt Vonnegut and Catch 22 by Joseph Heller there are many themes that at first don’t appear to be related but once given a closer look have striking similarities. Both books are about one mans experience through World War II, one being a fighter pilot and another being a soldier. Each man is known as an anti-war hero. They do not agree with the war and do not find it appropriate to fight for it.

    Read More

  • Appalachian Musicians And Singers And The Songs They Write

    616 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the most prominent and popular types of music to come out of the

    Read More

  • The Role Of The American Revolution In Berkin's Revolutionary Mothers

    1372 Words  | 3 Pages

    These were the women who posed as men, so they could fight in the war, however this was not taken lightly. Berkin states that “women whose sex was discovered quickly were more likely to be punished severely, while women who saw combat before their sex was revealed sometimes drew praise”(60). For example, Margaret Corbin’s behavior was seen as nontraditional back then. Her husband was apart of the army and Margaret wanted to be by his side. She dressed in men’s clothing and at the heat of the moments stepped in for him when he got injured. Women were meant to stay at the house to cook or clean, not to fight in wars. Now, thanks to women like Margaret Corbin, women are fighting in wars overseas and allowed to be apart of the military or army without punishment. Women now have the right to be apart of any profession they choose and even have the same roles and responsibilities as

    Read More

  • Appalachian Music

    737 Words  | 2 Pages

    1997 - Bill Monroe inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Because of his influence

    Read More

  • Catch 22 Journal Entry Essay

    832 Words  | 2 Pages

    Catch-22 is a fictional novel written by author Joseph Heller that takes place during the end of WWII. The US entered WWII in December 1941 in reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese air forces. The book is set in Italy, where the main character was stationed and where the US forces were fighting the axis powers. Heller himself was a bombardier like his main character, Joseph Yossarian. They were both also stationed on small islands off the coast of Italy: Heller on Corsica and Yossarian on Pianosa. Heller’s personal experience during the war shaped his descriptions and characterizations in the novel.

    Read More

  • Free Catch-22 Essays: The Character of Yossarian

    511 Words  | 2 Pages

    The main character in Catch-22, which was written by Joseph Heller in 1960, was Captain John Yossarian, a bombardier in the 256th Squadron of the U.S. Army Air Force during WWII. Yossarian's commanding officer, Colonel Cathcart, wanted a promotion so badly that he kept raising the number of missions the men in his squadron were required to fight. Yossarian resented this very much, but he couldn't do anything about it because a bureaucratic trap, known as catch-22, said that the men did not have the right to go home after they completed forty missions (the number of missions the Army demands they fly) because they had to obey their commanding officers. Yossarian was controlled by the higher authority like the doctors restrained Joe. The whole novel was basically about how Yossarian tried to fight catch-22.

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Purple Hibiscus And The Kite Runner

    1829 Words  | 4 Pages

    In each novel there is a very different religious influence, Amir has his barely practicing father, whereas Kambili has the devout christian overbearing father in Eugene. Amir is a muslim and Kambili is a christian, both very different faiths, even if both have similar ideas and laws written in the Bible and The Qur’an. Over the course of The Kite Runner Amir is pushed towards faith by looking for support in terrible times, he shows this when sohrab is in the hospital, “I get on my knees, lower my forehead to the ground, .my tears soaking the sheet … Then I remember I haven 't prayed for over fifteen years.”(Hosseini 345) This shows how Amir only prayed, believed in god and his power in a time of great need, he wanted to cover all the bases and help Sohrab in any way he could, and this was all he could do. When he realized that he hadn 't prayed in fifteen years it shows how he only turned to god in desperate times and was needing to be pushed towards faith not the other way around. In Purple Hibiscus Kambili grows up under the overly religious and controlling Papa and so she from the start is very religious and easily influenced, this is shown when Kambili say this whilst talking to Aunty Ifeoma, “I sucked my tongue to unfreeze it, tasting the gritty dust ‘because papa nnukwu is a pagan’. Papa would be proud I

    Read More

  • A Comparison of Joseph Heller's Catch-22 and Arthur Miller's The Crucible

    1882 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Catch-22, opposite Miller's The Crucible, Joseph Heller utilizes his uncanny wit to present a novel fraught with dark, satiric comedy tied up in a relatively formless plot.  The character of Nately acts as a focal point for many of the humorous oxymoronic criticisms contained within Catch-22, as "Nately had a bad start.  He came from a good family" (Heller 34), and he ".was the finest, least dedicated man in the whole world"  (35).  Proliferating Catch-22, satirical dark comedy appears in every chapter, even in the depiction of death (Cockburn 179): ".McWatt turned again, dipped his wings in salute, decided, oh, what the hell, and flew into a mountain"(Heller 157).  Furthermore, the plot of Catch-22 follows a cyclical structure in that repetitions of particular events recur in a planned randomness, an oxymoron that pays tribute to Catch-22 itself (Merrill 205-209).  A recurring structure within Heller's novel defining his ...

    Read More

  • Religious Values In Social Work

    754 Words  | 2 Pages

    Being loved by God, many social workers naturally choose social work as their profession, these christians wish to to share the same love God provides for them to others who are in need. These christian social workers share this love with people who are poor, or troubled, or if a person is just in need of some talking to.

    Read More

More about Essay on Greed for Power and Money in Catch-22

Open Document