The True Purpose of Humor in C
The classic anti-war, anti-establishment, anti- (insert current debatable issue/action here) novel, Catch-22, follows the life of Yossarian, the main character, and his fellow Army Air Corps officers, stationed on an imaginary island off the coast of Italy, through a period during World War II. The book is classified under the genre of tragicomedy, yet some people see it as one extreme or the other of tragedy versus comedy. Both tragedy and comedy are very prevalent throughout the book, however the comedic portion serves a different purpose than that of the tragedy. "Although a very funny book, the purpose of the humor in Catch-22 is not so much to amuse as to point out (and skewer) the absurdities and contradictions of war" (Regher). The humorous or comedic scenes and instances in the book enhance the tragedy of the whole story by bringing realizations to the reader as well as to the characters. Not only does the humor decrease as the book progresses but it does so in a way to make room for the somberness of the theme. The amusing one-liners, quick-witted comebacks, and heated debates about absolutely nothing form the basis of the comedic element. Yossarian's unnecessary nudity, Major Major Major Major's limited availabil
Hasley, Louis. "Dramatic Tension in Catch-22," in The Midwest Quarterly, Vol. 15, No. 2, January, 1974, pp. 190-197. EXPLORING Novels. Gale Research, 1998. Reproduced in Student Resource Center. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group. December, 2000. . The use of humor in Catch-22 was not only to add comedic effect and to lighten the blow of the harsh reality of the story, but it was to enlighten the story as well. With every laugh, there is a shudder of realization (Muste). People, war, and death all have their own unique comedic traits if taken properly, yet they can all be heart-wrenching at the same time. This is why one of the funniest novels is not very funny at all. The closing is a quote from a critique written by Louis Hasely that perfectly states the true purpose of humor in Catch-22. , (2 February 2001)."As things get worse for him [Yossarian], the jokes come less rapidly and eventually trickle to a halt. This plunge from exhilaratingly happy to depressingly serious is made all the more pronounced by Heller..." (Pennarum). 'We?' Yossarian cried in surprise? 'What do you mean, we? Since when are you on their side?'
Some common words found in the essay are:
Doc Daneeka, Merril Heller, War II, Ships Sea, Avery Pennarun, Air Corps, Daneeka Yossarian's, Major Major's, Louis Hasely, Brustein Rome, humor catch-22, air corps, soldier white, purpose humor catch-22, yossarian's friend, strictly comedy, humorous war, army air, book progresses, harsh reality, 17 september 1999, army air corps, ex-pfc wintergreen,
Approximate Word count = 1753
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
