What follows is one of the first paragraphs of an essay I wrote several years ago about Catch 22. I'd like you to respond to my take on Yossarian as a moral hero in the world of this novel. At this point in your reading do you empathize or sympathize with his plight or not? And why?
Catch 22 is a bitterly funny book set during the end of World War II about an unlikely American moral hero, John Yossarian. Heller signals the throw-back status of the moral hero Yossarian represents by making him an Assyrian, survivor of a dead civilization. The book's time-altering structure and use of absurdist writing techniques further disorients the audience, forcing us to empathize with Yossarian who himself feels alienated and threatened in an irrational world. On the surface Yossarian seems initially concerned with physical survival and understanding of his world only insofar as understanding will enable him to survive the war. The evolving of the story, however, which does follow a psychological if not chronological sequence, shows Yossarian to be one of the "good guys" in that he respects life, cares for his friends, and harbors a deep-seated moral outrage at the injustices he witnesses in this irrational world. To find this moral core, Yossarian and the reader must examine and discard traditional guides of value. Nationalism, patriotism, romantic love, free enterprise, personal identity and individuality, even literature and language all become twisted or lost in the monolithic whirling void of the material world, symbolically shown in the motif of the vicious circle that echoes throughout the novel. Yossarian must not merely survive the circle, he must find a moral center and survival will follow.
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At first, I think we are unsure about Yossarian's morality because we are unsure about his sanity. I think by the time we figure out that everyone in the book is somewhat twisted in the brain, we are able to focus on morality and ethics. Although everyone thinks that Yossarian is insane, he tends to see most clearly as far as morals. He can't bring himself to tell Dobbs to kill Cathcart, and he seems to be the only one who sees the complete lack of loyalty and ethics in Milo's plans to make profit by working for both the Americans and the Germans. Milo was actually one of my own personal favorite characters until he decided to bomb his own camp. Even though there are parts of the novel where it seems that all the characters, especially Yossarian, belong in a loony bin, I agree that Yossarian has a strange talent for recognizing what is morally right and standing up for it.
ReplyDeleteI would like to agree with Courtney on her opinion that Yossarian is able to focus more on morals and ethics more than the other characters, such as Milo. Yossarian's dealings with Milo are where we get a glimpse at Yossarian's moral understanding. We find Milo concerned with his own financial gain. He even goes so far as to hatch a plan to scam the federal government out of thousands of dollars. He then asks Yossarian if he wanted in on the deal. Yossarian denies the proposal, showing us he has more of a conscience than Milo. We also see Yossarian's conscience at work when Dobbs seeks out Yossarian's aid in killing Cathcart. Even though Yossarian hates Cathcart and his constant raising of the required number of missions, Yossarian tell Dobbs to cancel his plans, saying that he couldn't bring himself to give the order to Dobbs. Even though every character in Catch-22 is insane, Yossarian is just a little saner than the rest.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Courtney and Kevin that Yossarian does have a decent moral standing. We know nothing about his family, so we don't know what morals he was taught. I think, though, that he has a kind of juvenile understanding of morals. He understands that he shouldn't kill or steal (revealed in the situations with Dobbs and Milo) and he knows how to be a good friend, as shown when he loans Nately money and keeps Orr company. As the book moves on, I've seen a lack of more adult morals, mostly concerning sexuality. I think that Yossarian is beginning to develop them, though. He's not so prurient (ha) after going with Orr to sleep with girls after Milo leaves them. Even later, he decides that killing Cathcart might be morally right simply because Cathcart is killing so many people.
ReplyDeleteI do believe Yossarian is more aware of his morals but does not necessarily act on them. knowing this, however, gives me the image a self-centered character for yossarian. I feel like he is well aware of what is going on around him and most of the time sees the more logical sides of things. He is always begging to be grounded because he is crazy, but i see it as an allusion; his biggest concern seems to be saving his own neck. All the other characters see Yossarian as the crazy one, but in reality, i think he is the most sane, which comes to his advantage. This being said, i do not see Yossarian as a moral hero, but more as someone that is just desperate to get out of the war.
ReplyDeleteI think that the "traditional" values in the book -- patriotism, etc. -- are so twisted and wrong at the core that it is absolutely necessary for Yossarian to throw them out. Therefore, I wouldn't say that the ideas of capitalism, patriotism, etc. become twisted during the course of the novel but are in fact wrong in the first place. His interactions with the other characters in the novel give Yossarian more of an example of what not to do than an opportunity to find out what is right to do. However, I think Yossarian is a good guy. Perhaps a tragic hero? I haven't finished the book but there is so much focus on death that it seems hard to expect anything else. After all, who could live in that world?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kevin, Courtney, and Andrea that Yossarian attempts to find a decent moral code and that he tries to live by it. He does care for his friends, especially Orr when they go off with Milo. He shows concern for the lives of his commrades and he is the only one who attempts to do anything rational about it by talking with the chaplain. I also agree with Connor that the usual values are completely destroyed in the book, and that Yossarian has to develop his own ideals and follow his own conscience, even if the reader finds it somewhat twisted. This is shown when he makes his plane turn around because he disconnected his intercom. He tries to do the right thing in saving his men's lives, but he does it the wrong way. He tries really hard to be a good guy, and he seems to improve at it as the story goes on. I do sympathize with him because I'm in no hurry to die either.
ReplyDeleteNate's example of Yossarian insisting they turn the plane around when his intercom became disconnected is a perfect example of him being a slacker. Also, the fact that he runs to the hospital every time the mission numbers are raised proves this fact as well. Yossarian is an interesting character. His laziness doesn't allow the reader to show much sympathy, however, in Yossarian's case, his thoughts speak louder than his actions. There are times throughout the novel where Yossarian's thoughts allow for some sympathy from the reader because they reveal what's really going on inside the head of a worried soldier. Of course, as Nate said, no one really wants to die which would lead the reader to sympathize with him. Yossarian, along with every other character, contradicts the general stereotype of brave, intelligent, and determined soldiers.
ReplyDeleteI think Yossarian is way too passive to be called a hero of any kind. He almost always chooses the moral route when it is presented to him, but he never goes out of his way to do something. I believe he is a naturally moral person, but doesn't always wish he was. His desperation to get out of the war and save only himself clashes with his morality often, the most obvious time being when Colonels Cathcart and Korn offer him an easy out of the war if he'll only try to justify their corrupt actions to the others in his squadron and outside of the war. At first, he agrees fully, but then his moral side gets to him and he refuses the deal. I believe he really is a good person, and I feel sympathetic towards him. I do not, however, believe he's a slacker at all. When he puts himself in the hospital, it is basically to save his life. I think he'd be stupid not to try.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Breanna in that Yossarian is very lazy and has no drive to accomplish anything. When you think of a soldier in the U.S. military, you typically don't think of someone like Yossarian. You think of someone that is courageous and willing to do anything his officers tell him to do. Yossarian does not seem to care too much when he is ordered to do something. He will do it, but he will not give it 100% effort. One example of this is when they go on a bombing run in chapter three, Yossarian does care whether his bombs hit or miss their targets.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I feel a little bit of sypmathy for all of the characters in Catch-22 because they are all insane in their own way. THey have all been put into this war for one reason or another, some of them against their will and others, like Nately, went into the Air Force in the hopes that he wouldn't be in actual combat, but still in training when the war ended. As for Yossarian's morality, I definitely see him as a "good-guy" because he does seem to have a conscience about most things, the exception being his sexuality, as shown in the examples listed by my classmates and how he tells Aarfy to shut up about Nately's prostitute even though it makes no sense for him to be in love with her. His lack of judgement in referenecce to his sexuality, I associate with his youth and lonliness, not that that is an excuse. As "good" as Yossarian is, however, he is a regular guy who just wants out of the war which, as catch-22 says, proves that he is more sane than most of the other men in the book. I do sympathize with Yossarian because he's a mostly good person thrown into a situation that he'd rather not be in with no way to get out.
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I agree with Erin, I too feel sympathy for many of the characters in Catch-22, especially Yossarian. I agree with what Nate said, in that Yossarian is searching for a moral code, and this is shown in how much he cares for his friends. While his actions may not show it, Yossarian is very fond of Nately, Orr, and Milo. These feelings allow the reader to develop sympathy for Yossarian, they show that beneath the paranoia, Yossarian is a normal human. These sympathetic feelings are further enforced with the deaths of Nately and Orr. Their deaths have a deep effect on Yossarian, and added to the sympathy that Heller had already developed for Yossarian.
ReplyDeleteErin's comment reflects my feelings towards Yossarian in saying that he feels like he is trapped in the situation but is trying to keep his morality. My defense for him being called a "good guy" is his tactic of skipping missions by claiming to be sick. Although this may seem cowardly on his part, the thing I notice the most is that he starts to do this only after men die on the missions he has led, like Kraft and Clevinger. I do believe Yossarian fakes sick to save his own skin, but I also believe that he does it to save his own men as well because he isn't confident enough in his own ablities. In this area, I disagree with Alex and Breanna calling him "lazy" and a "slacker". He is valuing human life over destruction, which makes him a "good guy" in my eyes.
ReplyDeleteI dont see yossarian as neither of these traits. He seems to me more to be concerned with his own well being and perhaps even less than considerate to others, he is by no means a moral hero. He is often easily frightened and confused on his own morals and beliefs. He is not a slacker, though, he follows through with his missions, though in a lackluster way, and even keeps the colonel who assigns more missions alive at one point.
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