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Description:

This video discusses the major ideas of the satirical American war novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. The horror of war meets…absurdity and humor? Is the novel completely cynical in its take on war?

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:01

Catch-22, a la Shmoop. WarÉ sucks. But unfortunately, sometimes

00:01

itÕs necessary.

00:01

If we'd let the Nazis steamroll their way across the planet during World War Two, Hitler's

00:14

little mustache might still be a fashion trend and we'd all love Wagnerian opera instead

00:19

of Twilight.

00:20

More often, however, war just blows for pretty much everyone concerned.

00:28

Some of the most famous books of the twentieth century, fiction and non-fiction, dealt with

00:31

this topic, including Joseph Heller's satiric Catch-22.

00:38

Captain John Yosarrian and the other airmen of the 256th squadron are stationed on a Mediterranean

00:45

island during World War Two.

00:46

Sounds awesome, right? Sunshine and seafood for all!

00:47

But instead of spending their time on the beach, Yosarrian and friends are busy trying

00:51

to stay sane and survive the war so they can get home.

00:54

ThereÕs an attack on an undefended Italian mountain village, the despair felt by various

00:56

soldiers, and the deaths of many of Yosarrian's friends.

00:56

So, yeah, not a lot of positives here. But is Catch-22 really as cynical as it seems?

01:06

Heller's characters certainly don't have a lot of control over their lives, and they

01:10

often come to a sad end due to circumstances beyond their control.

01:14

Nately, for example, dies during a pointless mission, when his plane crashes into another

01:19

American plane.

01:19

So much for his dreams of marrying his hooker girlfriend and sending her kid sister to an

01:23

American college.

01:23

The characters also tend to make choices and do things that negatively affect the people

01:27

around them.

01:28

While Aarfy is perfectly willing to protect well-connected women from the sexual advances

01:32

of other menÉ

01:33

Éhe ends up raping and murdering Michaela because he's never had to pay for sex and

01:38

doesn't see why he should have to start.

01:42

Some stellar logic right there. But maybe what Heller's trying to say is that,

01:46

even when things are at their worst, even when men are stuck in a terrible war that

01:50

they want no part of, there's hope to be found in humor.

01:54

BecauseÉ there's a lot of absurdity in the 256th squadron.

01:57

Colonel Cathcart is so determined to become a general that he keeps raising the number

01:57

of missions his men have to fly, meaning that they can get really close to doing enough

01:58

work to get them home, but they never quite make it.

01:58

Milo Minderbender is so anxious to turn a profit that he starts contracting missions

02:03

for the Germans, going so far as to fight on both sides in the same battle and bomb

02:09

his own squadron.

02:09

The world Heller describes in Catch-22 is sad but ridiculous, and it's the utter silliness

02:11

of it all that allows Yosarrian to stay sane. Edwin Starr, the Temptations, and Bruce Springstein

02:13

and the E Street Band have all told us that war is good for absolutely nothin'É

02:14

Éand Catch-22 certainly seems to demonstrate the truth behind that extremely catchy song

02:15

lyric.

02:15

But is Heller's novel completely cynical in its take on warÉ

02:18

Éor does he think itÕs bearable as long as youÉ send in the clowns?

02:26

Shmoop amongst yourselves.

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