Free Catch-22 Essays: Insanity :: Catch-22

Insanity in Catch 22 In every of history, no war seems to have touched the minds of people everywhere as much as World War II. This war brought about some of the defeat violations of human rights ever seen. The German military created a system for the public to follow, and if the individual opposed, he was oppressed. This kind of mentality is presented in the novel, Catch-22 (1955). Joseph Heller uses the insane situations of the background and his characters to show a unique perspective on World War II.   A small Army Air Corps base serves as the picture for Catch-22. It is set on a fictitious island called Pianosa. The island is described as very small and is located in the Mediterranean Sea, off the coast of Elba, Italy. It is set in the time of World War II. The island almost serves as a microcosm of the war taking place around it. This setting accommodates nearly all of the hardships being face by the victims of WWII. The Air Corps dominates this island and its sold ier inhabitants. A system is established and it must be obeyed by all the soldiers. This system is kepy alive through a catch-22.   Basically the catch-22 is a trap set up by the military bureaucracy to keep all of the soldiers flying in battle. It is best summed up in a piece of dialogue from the novel. It is shared between the main character, Yossarian, and the bases doctor, Daneeka Yossarian looked at him soberly and tried another approach. Is Orr crazy? He certain(a) is, Doc Daneeka said. Can you ground him? I sure can. But first he has to ask me to. Thats part of the rule. Then why doesnt he ask you to? Because hes crazy, Doc Daneeka said. He has to be crazy to keep flying combat missions by and by all the close calls hes had. Sure I can ground him. But first he has to ask me to. And then you can ground him? Yossarian asked. No. Then I cant ground him. You mean theres a catch? Sure theres a catch, Doc Daneeka replied. Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isnt really crazy. ( Heller, 46)   This bureaucratic trap is accepted by most of the naive soldiers. This is why the military is able to make the soldiers do whatever they want them to do.