After WWII postmodernism emerged as the form of criticism that best represented the values of the west. Through the rejection of traditional ideas, and cynical interpretation of culture, postmodern authors expressed the views of their people. In Catch 22, Heller expresses the idea of self-regard above all through the use of traditional character archetypes. As defined by the creator of the term Carl Jung, an archetype is a collectively inherited unconscious idea, or pattern of thought universally present in individual psyches. Furthermore, in literature, archetypes are seen as models, or designs in characters that are commonly seen, and easily recognizable. In the novel, Heller shows the absurdity of selflessness through his own interpretation of a “hero” voiced through the unlikeable Harvermeyer. The need for self-regard through the relatable anti-hero Yossarian, and the benefit of greed portrayed through the villain- Milo Minderbender.
To begin with, Heller takes a postmodern view on the hero archetype to express
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the absurdity of selflessness. Havermeyer is one of the two lead bombardiers, and a great soldier. However, in Catch 22, Harvermeyer represents the realistic connection between selflessness, and lunacy. “Havermeyer was the best damned bombardier they had, but he flew straight and level all the way from the I.P. to the target, and even far beyond the target until he saw the falling bombs strike ground and explode in a darting spurt of abrupt orange that flashed beneath the swirling pall of smoke and pulverized debris geysering up wildly in huge, rolling waves of gray and black. Havermeyer held mortal men rigid in six planes as steady and still as sitting ducks while he followed the bombs all the way down through the plexiglass nose with deep interest and gave the German gunners below all the time they needed to set their sights and take their aim and pull their triggers”(Heller,18) Havermeyer is brave, and courageous for making sure he hits his targets every time, but he has a terrible reputation for being callous about his men’s lives. Through his actions we learn that other men die because of his exaggerated bravery, and in a realistic world he would be looked down upon. Heller exploits the classic archetype of the hero in the case of Harvermeyer. Although Harverymeyer’s attributes suit a “hero”, his unlikeable character, along with his psychology does not coincide with realistic values, implying that a selfless, and brave person would be disadvantaged in a sane world. In relation to the hero, there is the villain. Instead of the traditionally hated villain, Heller portrays the villain in Catch 22 as an admired messiah type figure to imply that selfishness is good. Milo Minderbender is corrupt, and greedy. Fitting the typical role of a villain. He cares only for himself, and endangers the lives of others. Nonetheless, Milo receives worship, as well as affection by people around the world as a result of his detestable greed. “Milo was not only the Vice-Shah of Oran, as it turned out, but also the Caliph of Baghdad, the Imam of Damascus, and the Sheik of Araby. Milo was the corn god, the rain god and the rice god in backward regions where such crude gods were still worshipped by ignorant and superstitious people, and deep inside the jungles of Africa, he intimated with becoming modesty, large graven images of his mustached face could be found overlooking primitive stone altars red with human blood. Everywhere they touched he was acclaimed with honor, and it was one triumphal ovation after another for him in city after city.” (183) Milo’s corrupt form of business does not lead him to a just fate, but fame, and glory.
Jung’s theory of archetypal criticism makes the connection between the unconscious, and common ideas. Milo Minderbender’s success is a universally common ambition present in individual psyches. The fact that Heller choose to depict Milo as a dirty antagonist seems to imply that in order to succeed, one cannot play by the rules, and should have themselves in mind before others.
Similar to the villain, the anti-hero archetype is exercised by Heller as an appliance to stress the need for self-preservation. While Yossarian lacks courage, and heroism, as seen through his constant attempts to avoid missions, we learn to root for him because of his relatable views on war which is shown through the expression of his opinions on war:
Yossarian: ‘I don’t want to fly milk runs. I don’t want to be in the war anymore.’
Major Major: ‘Would you like to see our country
lose?’ Yossarian: ‘We won’t lose. We’ve got more men, more money and more material. There are ten million men in uniform who could replace me. Some people are getting killed and a lot more are making money and having fun. Let somebody else get killed.’ Major Major: “But suppose everybody on our side felt that way.” Yossarian: “Then I’d certainly be a damned fool to feel any other way wouldn’t I?”(71) The anti-hero Yossarian does not gain the favor of the reader with the admirable traits of a hero, instead we learn to root for him because he is flawed, like us. Yossarian’s “selfish” view on his own life is honest, realistic, and most importantly relatable. His ideas along with his prominent flaws can be seen universally within every person; establishing the connection with the Jung’s theory of a collective unconscious. Since Yossarian’s principles resonate with the minds of the reader, we can see how Heller communicates the idea of self-worth, and preservation through the anti-hero. In sum, Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 is a postmodern novel that utilizes traditional archetypes to establish a connection between ironic characters, and realistic views on selfishness. Heller emphasizes: The foolish notion of a selfless hero through the behavior of Harvermeyer, as his courage ends up hurting others. The need to put one’s self above others in order to succeed, through the favorable outcome of the villain Milo. As well as the importance of self-preservation, asserted by the relatable anti-hero Yossarian.
Catch-22 follows the protagonist, Yossarian’s experience during WWII. However, the book is nowhere near chronological and jumps from different time periods of Yossarian’s service in the military. The novel depicts many events of where Yossarian
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.
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.
The concept of betrayal and deception is as old as humanity itself, and has been appearing in literature since humans first began to write. From the Bible itself to modern fiction, deception has been a major theme in literature, appearing in countless classic and important poems and novels. In the novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller deception is everywhere, on both minor and grand scales carried out by countless characters, however the most important deception comes from the protagonist of the story, Yossarian.
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 ...
Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving is one of the many novels that can be analysed through a Jungian archetypal lens to show how the unconscious projection of archetypal images affects how a person views others people's actions and their behaviours. In this novel the narrator John Wheelwright projects different archetypes onto different people dependant on their role in his life. This shows us how the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving is not objective because as a reader, you see all events and characters though John’s eyes. Everything that you read is tainted by the archetypal images John’s unconscious self which are being projected onto different characters and situations. This leads the reader to the question of how does one know that the story of Owen Meany is true, and that all the characters are portrayed truthfully.
Yossarian mistakenly blames others for his situation. Throughout the book, it is an evolution in itself as he realizes he is the only one in control of his fate.--he is the center of his universe. By refusing to conform, he causes all characters (some with more insight than others) to be confronted with possible meanings and logic behind his unusual behavior. "You have deep-seated survival anxieties. And you don't like bigots, bullies, snobs or hypocrites. Subconsciously there are many people you hate."
Ambiguity in literature after World War II reflects and explores issues of self and society. These two ideas often work against each other instead of coexisting to form a struggle-free existence. J. D. Salinger, Sylvia Plath, and Richard Heller illustrate this struggle with their works. These authors explore ambiguity through different characters that experience the world in different ways. Identity, while it is an easy concept, can be difficult to attain. These authors seek out ambiguity with the human experience, coming to different conclusions. Ambiguity becomes a vehicle through which we can attempt to define humanity. J. D. Salinger’s novel, Catcher in the Rye, Sylvia Plath’s novel, The Ball Jar, and Richard Heller’s novel, Catch 22 explore ambiguity experienced through an attempt to find self. Each experience is unique, incapable of fitting a generic mold created by society.
An anti-hero has the role of a hero thrust upon them. They do not particularly want to be brave or noble but their actions lead them to be a hero. Facing difficult decisions and doubt are also classic traits of an anti-hero. They often lack confidence in themselves, refuse to accept their fate as a hero or don't even realise their status or ability. At a certain point, anti-heroes usually transcend into either a tragic or romantic hero. Anti-heroes can be identified in many different texts, however, all of them consist of those traits.
Heller’s text in challenging a specific vice or folly through satire proved to be exceptionally effective as today’s current issues continue to mimic those in Catch-22. Milo Minderbinder is a man that has no allegiance to any country or morality and is only dedicated to profit. Milo’s role as a mess officer started off with the intention of feeding the men with the best food he could give, but eventually became a syndicate, Milo & Minderbinder Enterprises, where goods are transported through planes without regard to the safety of the men that support it. When Milo and the other men in the army arrive at a hotel in Cairo, Milo purchases all the Egyptian cotton believing that it was a great business deal. Only to soon find out that he cannot sell the cotton because it is not in demand and can ruin his business.
When this story is viewed through Sigmund Freud’s “psychoanalytic lens” the novel reveals itself as much more than just another gory war novel. According to Sigmund Freud psychology there are three parts of the mind that control a person’s actions which are the id, ego, and superego. Psychoanalysis states that there are three parts of the human mind, both conscious and subconscious, that control a person’s actions. The Id, ego, and
Virtually all literature contain instinctive trends in the human consciousness to represent certain themes or motifs, these are defined as archetypes. Archetypes can be thought as blueprints or as bundles of psychic energy that influence the manner in which we understand and react to life. There are two different categories of archetypes, the plot archetype and the character archetype. The orphan, martyr, wanderer, warrior, magician, villain, wise child, temptress, rebel, underdog, fool, saint, virgin, wise, old man or woman are all considered to be character archetypes. Call to adventure, isolation, quest and monster that turns against its creator are all considered to be plot archetypes. The novel, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, contains archetypes.
“The alternating play of humor and horror creates a dramatic tension throughout that allows the book to be labeled as a classic both of humor and of war. With the humor in Catch-22 we are forced to conclude is only secondary. Where Heller comes through in unalleviated horror is where the message lies. The books humor does not alleviate the horror it heightens it by contrast.” (Riley, Carolyn & Phyllis Carmel Mendelson).
However, Yossarian also possessed traits we would expect to find in a hero. He was a smart man. For example, he knew enough about world literature to identify himself with heroic loners from all kinds of classics. He had few illusions, unlike Pip and Henry. For example, in cadet training, Clevinger thought Lieutenant Scheisskopf really wanted suggestions, but Yossarian knew Scheisskopf didn't mean it.
In the story Catch-22 many external and internal conflicts affected Yossarian. To start, one main internal conflict that affected Yossarian was Yossarian vs insanity. Because this took place during a war many of Yossarian’s closest friends had started to lose their sanity. Yossarian struggles to stay sane during this time. In addition, another main conflict that Yossarian faced was war. Yossarian struggled with this internal conflict because he knew that he would die at one point and wanted to go home. He acts as if he is insane and tries to leave the military but if someone’s sane they obviously would not want to go to war. This was the catch-22 which was a major conflict that Yossarian struggled with. One clear external conflict that Yossarian