Catch-22 Heller's Harmonious Union of Horror and Tragedy

A detailed Summary of Catch-22 Heller's Harmonious Union of Horror and Tragedy

Heller's Harmonious Unison of Comedy and Tragedy

Since the dawn of literature and drama, comedy and tragedy have always been partitioned into separate genres. Certainly most tragedies had comedic moments, and even the zaniest comedies were at times serious. However, even the development of said tragicomedies left the division more or less intact. Integrating a total comedy and a total tragedy into a holistic union that not only preserved both features, but also blended them into a new and harmonious entity remained elusive. That is, until Catch-22. Using his unique style and structure, Joseph Heller masterfully manages to interlay humor and terror, comedy and tragedy, and reveals in the process the perversions of the human character and of society gone mad.

The first stroke of Heller's deft touch is his presentation of outrageous characters, acting outrageously. From the first chapter, we are presented with a slew of unbelievable characters whose actions and ideologies are uproariously funny, and horrifically disturbing. In fact, the manner in which the reader recognizes the character's dual nature will serve as the first example of Heller's amalgamation of comedy and tragedy. Dunbar's theo

Maybe the most absurd character in the novel is Colonel Cathcart. He continually raises the number of missions for no other reason than personal prestige. Though he achieves nothing by this, he continually persists. Cathcart's absurd drive for prestige is again emphasized in the Saturday Evening Post incident. He tries to copy another squadron's prayer meetings, not for morale, but for the absurd thought that he will be featured in the Saturday Evening Post. Even his reason for not going forward is absurd; he refuses to accept the enlisted men praying to the same God as the officers. Perhaps Cathcart's most ridiculously absurd action is his "List". Ultimately, his career is measured out in "Black Eyes" and "Feathers in His Cap" rather than in success, morale, or human life. Cathcart remains one of the novel's funniest characters, but his essential inhumanity and selfishness creates an equally contemptible character. Cathcart presents another example of Heller's beautiful weaving of comedy and tragedy.

Likely the most important element of Catch-22 is its absurdity. Absurdity pervades the novel, creating dually humor and terror. The absurd Lt., Col., Gen., Sheishkopff's obsession with parades is quite droll. Again, however, the implications are ghastly. Sheishkopff views his soldiers as puppets, wanting at one point to wire them together to create a perfectly precise machine. This reflects society's insane obsession with order and conformity, even at the cost of individuality and humanity. A further example of such dehumanizing absurdity occurs at the hospital. Yossarian has suffered a leg injury and is told to take better care of his leg because it is government property. Soldiers, therefore, are not even people, but simply property that can be listed on an inventory. In a bureaucracy, as Heller shows, individuality does not matter.

The perversion of society is revealed further in a second major type of character, the deluded. Though most serve largely as foils to Yossarian and his philosophy, much can still be made of their condition. Clevinger is perhaps the best example of a deluded character. His debate with Yossarian serves as an insightful evaluation of their psyche. He argues that, although everyone is trying to kill him, everyone is not trying to kill him. The humor of the debate cannot be denied, but horror and tragedy are equally present. The debate leaves the audience struggling to decide who is crazy. Clevinger falls into an obvio

Some common words found in the essay are:
Joseph Heller, Appleby Havermeyer, Duckett Peckem, Kid Sampson's, Doc Daneeka's, Hungry Joe's, Gen Sheishkopff's, Feathers Cap, Ultimately Catch-22, Comedy Tragedy, comedy tragedy, humor terror, unique style structure, manages interlay humor, mind-boggling paradoxes, aghast horror, style structure, unique style, leaves audience, ultimate truth, terror comedy tragedy, interlay humor terror, evening post, humor terror comedy, humorous implications,

Approximate Word count = 1676
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English