Yossarian's Point Of View In Catch 22

In the novel, Catch 22, the story follows twenty-eight year old bomber pilot Yossarian and his struggles to avoid combat missions in the Italian front of World War Two. Yossarian is afraid that Colonel Cathcart, his flight leader, is out to get him. Every single time Yossarian almost reaches the mission limit to go off-duty, Cathcart increases the mission count to insure that Yossarian remains on combat duty permanently. Yossarian believes that he is hopeless and will have to remain on combat duty for the rest of the war.

There is, however, a way for Yossarian to go home before completing his required missions. He learns from Doc Daneeka, the field medic, that he will be sent home if he is deemed crazy by the medical ward. If the ward declares

someone insane, he may ask to be sent home. However, if one asks to be sent home, he will be redeclared sane by the ward and forced to fly more missions. This essentially makes it impossible for Yossarian to go off-duty. The novel follows Yossarian and his creative ideas with fellow service officers to go off-duty.
The novel is written in the third-person omniscient point of view, and as well as jumping between characters and describing events from their different points of view.

This is displayed prominently in chapters introducing new characters into the story, such as the background on Major Major and how he assumed his position in the bomber command. In the eyes of Major Major, he, “Enjoyed every gamboling moment right up till the day Colonel Cathcart roared up and made it impossible for him to ever enjoy playing basketball there again (Heller, 88).” This point of view is shown once again later in the novel, in a different perspective, that of Colonel Cathcart. Cathcart instead believes the promotion was a joke and that Major Major’s promotion was good for publicity. The switching of point of view clarifies the thoughts and feelings of many key characters, that might otherwise be vague in their motives. The character Milo, for example, bombed the squadron airfield, but justifies in action in that he made a large profit, explaining, “He could reimburse the government for all the people and property he destroyed and still have enough left over to continue buying Egyptian cotton (Heller, 258)”. The point of view helps to give cause to character’s actions, and to give closure to an otherwise unknown action and the decisions behind the character. This in turn makes the story of the novel more nonlinear, and more open to the

reader.
The main character in the novel is Yossarian, the bomber captain attempting to survive in the war. The novel fleshes out the character skillfully, by describing him a a man trying to stay sane in the chaos around him. He explains that, “He had decided to live forever or die in the attempt, and his only mission each time he went up was to come down alive (Heller, 29).” Yossarian has reached a point in his bomber career where he know longer invested his skill as a bombardier, and after so many missions, just wanted to say alive. He also explains to Major Sanderson in the hospital with a wounded leg, how far he is willing to go. When the colonel accuses Yossarian of being paranoid of death, he responds by stating, “I more than resent it, sit. I’m absolutely incensed (Heller, 303).” Yossarian also has a figurative “dead man” in this tent, a symbol of his fear of death on combat-duty.He kept that fear in him, as the dead man was a fresh new recruit the day he was killed. But four new men moved into Yossarian’s tent and figuratively kicked out the dead man by removing his only possession and the symbol of his dread. In Yossarian’s eyes, “they whisked him away! They carried his cot and all of his belongings right out into the bushes and simply left them there (Heller, 349).” Other characters are fleshed out through the use of point of view transition, and the reader gains a clear conception of their character traits. Colonel Cathcart describes himself as being, “Impervious to absolutes (Heller, 187).” He was a frequently unhappy man, with a strange desire to be promoted to the rank of general.
Dialogue is used often in the story as a way to express characters and their attitudes towards each other and the situations at hand. Clevinger is described as being a foil to Yossarian’s principles, a well-mannered and behaved man. His dialogue shows his personality and manner during the court hearing early on, Clevinger replies to Major Metcalf calmly, and with restraint. Even as he grows frustrated with the Major’s nonsensical questions, he simply continues to answer with, “I’m sorry, sir. But I don’t know how to answer it (Heller, 77).” The squadron chaplain, a religious, studious man, is always quick to make clear matters that may be deemed questionable, as in, “That’s a shameful, scandalous deal, isn’t it (Heller, 434)?”
The novel is a satire of the events of the war, but also accurately depicts many events within the novel, including the challenges faced by the pilots and the feelings of hatred and patriotism felt by many citizens in the time period. The novel authenticity immerses the reader in the events of the novel, while pointing out the faults of the characters, and the bureaucracy that controls the fate of the pilots and their status. Appleby, a young, charismatic bomber pilot, is described as a symbol of liberty and the promise of the country. “Everything Appleby did, he did well… Appleby was a fair-haired boy from Iowa who believed in god, motherhood, and the American way of life (Heller, 18)...” This character serves as the symbol of American culture and belief, and that is a reason why Yossarian abhors him as a facade, or a false image.
The satirical nature of the novel brings into question many problems the the American nature, and the bureaucracy of the nation, with many symbols serving as an illustration of the top men in the government and military as gods among men. When Colonel Cathcart started to abuse his power, and question’s Yossarian’s allegiance, he rises to his own defense, exclaiming, “What have you and Colonel Cathcart got do with my country? You're not one and the same (Heller, 422).” Yossarian serves as a tool to expose all that is wrong with the chain of command throughout the novel.
In all, I enjoyed reading Catch 22, because it is a creative story that highlights many issues in modern bureaucracy, as well as having a unique point of view and unfolding of events in the time period. The novel was well written, and every character had a trait that defined him/her. The novel made you care for each of their own situations, and the jumping of the point of view helps the reader to invest in the actions of each character. Overall, I am a fan of the novel and Joseph Heller’s writing and I would certainly recommend to anyone who wants an enriching story that they read this novel.