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Teachers & SchoolsLanguage and Communication
In Catch-22, languageĀ is feeble. Words lose their integrity because what the bureaucracy says is often a blatant lie. The men live in a world where their superiors have no problem deceiving them, and likewise begin to feel insincere towards one another. Thus, just like an angsty teenager on his phone at the dinner table, their speech often lacks emotion and truth. The men often communicate poorly and misunderstand the messages conveyed. So there is deficiency in both using and understanding language. In the world of Catch-22, words are not to be trusted.
Blatant untruths and a lack of understanding compromise the effectiveness of both the spoken and written word in Catch-22. This leads us to doubt the narrative itself as a tool of effective communication. Therefore, the book both asserts and negates its own message, becoming in itself a representation of Catch-22.
The impotence of language is directly caused by a general lack of integrity among all the characters in the novel.