Examine the passage beginning 'Yossarian looked at him…' and ending with '…if he's got flies in his eyes (p52). Discuss the extract, examining the issues it raises and how Heller treats them here and elsewhere in the novel.

Examine the passage beginning 'Yossarian looked at him...' and ending with '...if he's got flies in his eyes (p52). Discuss the extract, examining the issues it raises and how Heller treats them here and elsewhere in the novel. In Orwell's prophetic 'Nineteen Eighty Four', O'Brien presents an anti-realist perspective on truth and mankind's understanding of reality. His claim to 'dictate truth'1 by defining it verbally, impinging upon Winston's interpretation of events, is suggestive of a certain pliability to truth. This philosophy of subjectivism is similarly directly relevant to 'Catch 22' that, while set in history, is significantly set on an island that 'could obviously not accommodate all of the actions'2. Both the incredulity of many arguments in the novel, and its imprecise, ephemeral setting concur with the notion that events represent a microcosm of the modern world. Furthermore, as in 'Nineteen Eighty-Four', they also demonstrate an anti-realist approach to truth that inevitably leads to the manipulation of logic, a manipulation that is encapsulated in the elusive form of Catch 22. This transcendent quality to both events and logic permeates the narrative and is perhaps clearest in the erratic structure of the novel. In adopting this Heller seeks to make the text reflect the events that are portrayed within it. The shift between Yossarian discussing Catch

  • Word count: 1455
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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Effective Characterization in Catch-22

Effective Characterization in Catch-22 The large cast of characters in Heller's Catch-22 is what makes the novel so memorable. The experience of each character makes the "catch" more believable to the reader. Each character symbolizes a different attitude and reaction to the system in which he is trapped. Oftentimes, the characters are stereotypes rather than actual "individuals." There is no obvious division in intelligence between the authority characters and those governed by the authority. Milo Minderbinder, Colonel Cathcart, and General Peckem are all excellent representatives of the military bureaucracy. Heller's portrayal of these characters makes a solidified statement about the way the army works. These characters do not see the men under their command as human beings, but as tools to further their careers. Milo uses his manipulative powers to improve his "syndicate" and his personal wealth. Pearson notes,"...by the time his[Milo's] activities have taken over Europe and North Africa in one vast syndicate and he has bombed his own men, he has become little more than a personification of greed"(277). Milo's tactics are often outrageous, and they even endanger the physical and emotional well-being of his fellow soldiers. According to one critic, "For Milo, contract, and the entire economic structure and the ethical system that it embodies and represents, is more sacred

  • Word count: 646
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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"Catch - 22… is neither apocalyptic nor a masterpiece, but a tendentious burlesque, founded upon a peculiarly subjective view of historical reality". (Bloom). To what extent do you agree with this opinion?

Catch - 22 Coursework Jemma Marshall "Catch - 22... is neither apocalyptic nor a masterpiece, but a tendentious burlesque, founded upon a peculiarly subjective view of historical reality". (Bloom). To what extent do you agree with this opinion? In response to this statement, which is Bloom's opinion on Joseph Heller's Catch - 22, it can be said that it can both be agreed with and disagreed with. Catch - 22 is obviously, "a masterpiece" as even in today's society it shows relevance, and it is still be read all over the world by millions of people. Although, it can be concluded from Catch - 22 that Joseph Heller's personal experience of war had a great impact on who the book itself was written, and who Heller thought the advantageous people were and who the victims were during the war. Thus, him being a man who took part in the war influenced him to write this anti-war novel, Catch - 22. Therefore, it can be agreed with that Catch - 22 is mostly, "founded upon a...subjective view of historical reality", as Joseph Heller was affected by the war and other people in higher ranks than him in the war just like the characters in his book, one example being, "Yossarian". Heller served as a bombardier in the 448th squadron in the U.S. Air Force in World War II. When reading Catch - 22 it can be depicted that Heller may use "Yossarian" to portray himself in the war as

  • Word count: 1594
  • Level: AS and A Level
  • Subject: English
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