Combat experience of joseph heller writing style in his novel "catch 2" Contents: Introduction

Conclusion

Joseph Heller makes use of his experience as a lieutenant in the military to show his antimilitaristic trend. He focuses in his fictional novel, Catch-2on the protagonist Captain Yossarian to develop an antimilitaristic ideology. The captain is not comfortable with the state of warfare and the combat missions because of the fatalities and risks that are parts of combat missions. He finds fake excuses that would guarantee an exemption from the war for him. In Catch 22, antimilitarism is against the widespread bloodshed and mass killings that happen during military combat. War expeditions may constitute inhuman treatment of people including the innocent. In Catch-2Lieutenant Scheisskopf appears to be a corrupt bureaucrat that does not care about the interests of his men. His corrupt practices are clear when he appoints his cadet officers in accordance with his personal preference instead of giving all his men a chance to choose them from the ranks as the protocol expects. All he cares about is the Sunday parade that most of his men detest. The novel shows that wars do not bring about peace. The bureaucratic insensitivity to military activities also justifies the antimilitarists’ opposition to warfare. The administrative units in the military can also be corrupt and engage in unfair activities such as the unlawful assignment of some individuals to posts that they might not be competent enough to hold. Colonel Cathcart, the officer in charge of Yossarian’s squadron, increases the number of missions of flying which makes it difficult for the airmen to cope with. This will result in untold suffering and bloodshed that lead to fear among the combatants. Chief Halfoat, the assistant of the intelligence officer, is illiterate, cannot read or write, yet, his docket in the force is military intelligence.