Catch-22

In the era of the sixties, the nation was war torn by the American involvement in the Vietnam War. There were many questions and much controversy surrounding the war, concerning its usefulness as a tool to solve international problems. People questioned the concept of war, and how it affected the people involved. Many writers of the time wrote about war, often questioning it in many different sorts of ways. Joseph Heller, as a war veteran himself, felt the struggle that war caused in him and wrote to convey this struggle. In Joseph Heller's Catch 22, the different ways the soldiers view human life ultimately show that life is a reflection of how one regards it.

The distribution of power among the high-ranking officials shows that power and control are extreme privileges that must be dealt with extreme care. Colonel Cathcart's practice of constantly raising the number of missions necessary to return home ends up being his biggest mistake. Cathcart believes that when he raises the number of missions, he is making a good decision. Cathcart does not care about the men, or their safety. He only cares for his own reputation, a deadly cleft in any leader's profile. Cathcart sees his men completing these missions, and enjoys the praise he gets for having the best outfit in the army. However, in the foreground, Cathcart does not see the mess he is making. His men hate him. Some of them refuse to fly the missions, causing much bigger problems. All the while his men are slowly dying. If not physically, then spiritually. All of these problems caused by the lack of respect the leader holds for his followers. Cathcart does not regard others lives highly, and he pays the price when his army falls apart right under his nose. Major Major is not cut out for leadership, and it shows by the way he cannot help anyone with their problems. Major Major was put into a leadership role by a computer rather than a real person, let alone an officer. His strange name caused the computer to list him as a major even though he had no previous war experience and therefore no way to be able to help anyone with their problems. He is a prime example of the oxymoron that is constant in the book. He is a higher-ranking official than Lieutenant Scheisskopf is; yet Scheisskopf is ordered to be his drill sergeant. Lt. Scheisskopf says to Major, "You may outrank me, sir, but I'm still your commanding officer. So you better do what I tell you, sir, or you'll get into trouble" (Heller, p 83). To escape this constant controversy that encircles him, Major Major retires to his office and does not allow any visitors except when he is not there. When people come to ask him questions, they must wait until he leaves to enter his room and therefore receive no help. Instead of trying to use his position to help people, Major runs from his responsibility. This decision to shirk his responsibility makes him a virtual nonentity in the army. His life becomes obsolete. Milo's black market manipulation makes his life one of material comfort only, and not of real value. Milo uses his position as head officer of the mess hall only to boost his monetary profits, stealing whenever and from whomever he pleases. He steals planes to transport black market goods, he steals parachutes and exchanges their silk for cotton, among other things. He explains his actions to his comrades in this way: "I don't make the profit. The syndicate makes the profit. And everybody has a share" (Heller, p 229). His so-called friends believe his lies and he gains quite substantially. However, Milo's peers eventually find cracks in his stories, and begin to lose respect for him. Milo's quality of life is good from a currency standpoint, however he is alone in the world and has lost his spirit in a sense. These characters easily show that abused leadership positions yield poor quality of life for those who abuse them and the people they abuse.

Yossarian throughout the book finds that the human spirit is valuable and that this value is warranted a level of respect. In the beginning of the story, Yossarian is shut away in a war hospital because he does not want to fight in the war. In the hospital, he is not a part of the killing of war. He has very little responsibility.