Doc Daneeka ministers to the body while Chaplain Tappman ministers to the soul.
Heller opens the novel saying that he “fell in love” with the Chaplain the first time he saw him, establishing at least some figurative connection. Yossarian’s first encounter with Doc Daneeka in the book, though, introduces him and the reader to the ubiquitous Catch 22, that becomes Yossarian’s nemesis, the ultimate trap. Is Heller making some comment through these characters about the relative importance of the body and the soul? Or is there some other reason for their presence in Yossarian’s life at Pianosa? Consider some of the following in writing your blog. Or come up with some questions and answers of your own that you find more intriguing.
--How is each man characterized? Which character is more sympathetic?
--How does Yossarian relate to each of these men? How do they relate to him?
--What happens to each of these men in the course of the novel?
--What other characters seem sympathetic to these two men? Who do the Doctor and Chaplain particularly befriend and why?
What, if anything, is Heller saying about the body and the soul through the depiction of these characters?
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I think that Heller is saying that healing for the body is temporary, and healing for the soul is permanent. Yossarian says he "loves the chaplain" because ministering to the soul has more of an impact then ministering to the body. Also, Yossarian never actually has a real illness in the first place, so Doc Daneeka never had a chance to help him.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nick, the chaplain helps people to cope with the stress of the war and helps to heal any problems they have emotionally. This is extremely important because the war can have a disastrous effect on ones soul and can cause a soldier to collapse into a hollow shell of his former self. The chaplain is also a much nicer person than Doc Daneeka is. As the reader, we can tell that the chaplain genuinely cares about the soldiers and easily empathizes with them, whereas the Doc simply reminisces about his old practice stateside.
ReplyDeleteI agree with both posts. I believe Heller wants to emphasize the importance of the soul rather than the body through both of these characters. I think this idea is only reinforced when Doc Daneeka is declared 'dead' towards the end of the book and no amount of physically evidence, not even him being there, can convince anyone otherwise. Also, the chaplain is just overall a more likable character in the book.
ReplyDeleteI think that Doc is characterized as a greedy and self-centered individual. he complains about how he is not being put to good use, and of how he is not making any money. Daneeka also laments about the possibility of being shipped to the pacific. Doc Daneeka shows how weak the body is in and of itself, and of how the body can move on and forget things. Daneeka shows little sympathy in the novel, yet their are examples of this sympathy. After Snowden's death and Milo's bomb run, Daneeka shows remarkable sympathy, which reveals that he cares on some level.
ReplyDeleteThe Chaplain, on the other hand, is a much more likable character, who always shows that he cares for the soldier's well being. The chaplain does his best to connect with the men on a deeper level, and this genuine care generates more sympathy toward the chaplain than Daneeka
Along with the other posts I agree that Heller is making a statement that the soul is more important than the body. Like Nick said the Chaplain is more of a likeable character, but in all reality many of the characters stay away of the Chaplain for the main reason that he does represent the soul and religion. Men do not nessecary flock to Doc Daneeka, but the body seems like an easier tragedy for the men to handle and it gets them out of the war for a short time. This book obviously does show by all of the deaths that occur, that the body does not last forever and only the soul will go on.
ReplyDelete"The body does not last forever and only the soul will go on"(Zoë)-- I think this is emphasized by the way the characters end up. Doc Daneeka "dies" and everyone forgets about him. despite physical evidence that Doc Daneeka is not in fact dead, he is pronounced dead so everyone basically forgets about him. Like a body, after his death everyone, even his wife and children, "bury" him in a sense and forget about him. The chaplain is taken away into a dark cellar and threatened, but does not die. I haven't read the last chapter yet so I could be misinformed, but the chaplain, like the soul, continues to minister to people after he has been threatened and does not die.
ReplyDeleteI'm in pretty much total agreement with everyone so far; Heller really seems to be making a statement about the soul being a lasting entity. In the beginning, Doc Daneeka and the chaplain are similar because neither one of them do their jobs. Doc Daneeka is too lazy (weakness of the body) and the chaplain is too shy (weakness of the soul). I liked Courtney's comment about Doc Daneeka's "death;" he practically withers away after being pronounced dead, anyway. I'd like to add the bit about the chaplain at the end. He finally finds the energy and purpose to do his job, and plans to "persevere." By this statement, I think that Heller is saying a lot about the immortality of the soul.
ReplyDeleteIn Catch-22, I believe Heller is relating the body to everything earthly and the soul to all that is divine and spiritual. Like Zoe said, there are numerous deaths of important characters throughout the book, which i believe is part of Heller's ploy to show that material possessions, money, and bodily pleasures will only keep you satisfied for a short amount of time while one is alive on Earth. Doc Daneeka's unyielding concern for his practice in the U.S. and for his financial status also show a connection between the body and materialism. The chaplain, when he speaks to Yossarian, talks mainly about life and feelings, revealing the connection between the spirit/soul and religion.
ReplyDeleteI think that everyone so far has hit the nail on the head with Heller's intent toward the Chaplain and Doc Daneeka. Any person who "has religion" wold agree that, while the body may grow old and die, the soul last forever. Doc Daneeka, a doctor, meant to minister to the body, does not do anything to help people. He complains about how he was put into the war against his will and just when his business was really starting to take off instead of doing his job. He doesn't want to be here and eventually "dies" but no one is all too put out about his death. Even his wife, after she realizes how much money she will not recieve for his death does not care that he's "dead" The Chaplain, however, is a likeable person and the reader is meant to feel bad for him and wish for his success. The reader wants the Chaplain to keep going and to do well, just as any person wants his or her soul to live on even though the body has died.
ReplyDeleteErin
I think that the characters represent the stress put on both body and soul during war. When Daneeka "dies" he represents the physical torture that war causes and the risk of death; the risk of literally being nonexistent. When the chaplain starts to have doubts about the existence of God and the nature of humanity, he represents the psychological abuse that war brings about. Because war goes against all logic and reason, it makes one question the very nature of humanity. Since humanity can stoop so inhumanly low, does that mean everything we've learned is a farce after all?
ReplyDeleteAs everyone has agreed so far, Heller is emphasizing the importance of the spiritual side of human beings. As Nick eluded to, when your soul is healed and is healthy, it has an everlasting effect on you as a person. The chaplain is able to reach into each man's spiritual side, whether they want him to or not. While most, if not all of the men in Catch-22, don't care much at all for God or any religion, you can tell that the chaplain's presence and insights effect the entire squadron. This shows, that even if you are not well accepted, you can still help people with their spiritual side.
ReplyDelete-Matt
The commenter named Maura is actually me. I am using my mom's computer and she was already logged in. oops.
ReplyDeleteI am very sympathetic towards Doc Daneeka, because of the tragic events that befall him after Mcwatt crashes his plane. His wife leaves him, and moves away without telling him where. This shows how Doc daneeka, as a healer to the body, severely needs the help of the spiritual healer, the chaplain. Even though colonel cathcart dislikes the chaplain, he still feels the need to keeps him around as a moral and spiritual leader of the men.
ReplyDeleteI think that, through Doc Daneeka and the Chaplain, Heller is trying show that a body and a soul are necessary for a complete and happy life. In the scene of Snowden's death Yossarian discovers that, without a soul, man is nothing but matter and will rot as such. Also, when Doc Daneeka died, it could be said that he was missing his body since that's what everyone believed. His life was pretty much destroyed; people moved on without him. He was like a wandering spirit trapped in the human world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone so far in that Heller is emphasizing the importance of the spirit over the body. Pretty much everyone in the squadron, with the exception of the Chaplain, does not put religion as a top priority. Throughout the story, many main characters die. Even though Doc Daneeka is only pronounced dead on paper, everyone around him forgets about him as if he were actually dead. I believe that the Chaplain is threatened near the end but does survive, although I have not finished the story yet so I may not be right. Heller is making a statement through these two characters. Since Doc Daneeka focused everything on his job and the physical realm, he loses everything. The Chaplain, however, focused on religion and survived the war. I believe Heller is saying that the spirit is of greater importance than the body, just like the others have said.
ReplyDeleteI agree with many of the subsequent posts saying that Heller was trying to convey that a person's spirit is much more strong and longer-lasting than a person's body. I believe one of the ways Heller presents this idea is when Doc Daneeka "dies". He is "dead" only because a paper says so, and everyone believes it. This shows the reader really how weak the physical world is and how the spirit lives on.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone who said that the spirit is stronger than the body. I believe that Heller is trying to state how flimsy the physical world is with Doc Daneeka's death because he was destroyed by a piece of paper, even though the others still physically saw him daily. This also shows the power of the mind over the physical senses, because it is plainly obvious that Doc is still alive, but no one seems to realize it.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has made it rather clear that Heller believes the soul has greater importance than the body because the soul lasts forever. It is interesting, however, that Yossarian has such a strong fear of dying. Is he afraid to die because of what Connor mentioned, he's afraid of becoming "extinct", or does Yossarian believe the body to be more important? I believe that Yossarian is afraid of dying because he does not want to become "the dead man in the tent". Yossarian sympathesizes with the dead because they are symbolic of his greatest fear, dying and becoming forgotten. Although Yossarian seems to have a strong connection to the importance of the body, he is concerned with the spiritual aspect of life as well. The book opens revealing Yossarian's strong love for the chaplain. I believe Heller put this statement right at the beginning to prove that above all Yossarian's main concern is his spiritual well-being because a spirit, although intangible, lasts forever while the body rots away and exists only for a short time on Earth.
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