The Age of Youth
Written by Trista Sullivan
May 18th, 2012
Mr. Jennings and Mr. Esselman
The Age of Youth
America is a country that is constantly undergoing many different forms of
change and innovation over time. America is a country built on the freedom to make your
own decisions. This inevitably led to a very diverse body, and from this body, many great
works of art and technology were created. These works all have a great influence on the
American society, and at times can even cause major changes, even to the point of
complete revolution. These great works are also created as a reflection of what is
happening in society at the time the work is created. Catch-22 is a novel written by
Joseph Heller that showed the controversy and hypocrisy that war held so closely. This
reflected the Vietnam War, and how messed up the war itself and consequently, the
individuals would end up being. Though, in the novel the Squadron that the characters are
in are fighting in World War II. This is not an exact reflection of what was going on
when it was published in 1961, but its general purpose was to express the insanity in all
wars. Along with the great works created, great individuals and voices become prominent
over time. Prior to the 1960’s, the voice of the youth was not one to be taken seriously.
Due to the antiwar movement in the 1960’s the youth of Americans grasped their voice,
and amplified it for all of the citizens of America to hear: the young and the old.
Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, published in 1961, is a character heavy story that holds
many different themes. The story expresses motifs of insanity, heroism, brutality, and
pure irony in a sense that people more often tend to want what they can’t have. This is
expressed through “Catch-22” which is now a coined term. A Catch-22 is in the simplest
sense, a paradoxical situation that one can find himself in. The Catch-22 is explained in
multiple scenarios throughout the novel: the first scenario being a situation in which
soldiers can ask for grounding. If a soldier is mentally insane, and asks a doctor to be
grounded, the doctor can ground him. Any sane man would quickly ask for grounding
while a man who was truly insane would not even think to do that; he would continue
flying his missions, not fearing death in the slightest. Joseph Heller prominently uses
characterization to express the themes of the novel. War is an insane institution that
produces soldiers just as insane as the war.
The novel begins with John Yossarian, a bombardier. Yossarian showed himself
to be an anti-hero. Though, in the beginning of the novel we are lead to believe that
Yossarian is the only sane man. He ends up being just as insane as the men he chastises:
this makes him the anti-hero of the story. “After he made up his mind to spend the rest of
the war in the hospital, Yossarian wrote letters to everyone he knew saying that he was in
the hospital but never mentioning why. One day he had a better idea. To everyone he
knew he wrote that he was going on a very dangerous mission. ‘They asked for
volunteers. It's very dangerous, but someone has to do it. I'll write you the instant I get
back.’ And he had not written anyone since” (Heller 8). Yossarian does not believe that
he is insane; more so that everyone around him is insane and he is the only sane one out
of them all. Heller shows different types of insanity in different characters.
“Hungry Joe did have fifty missions, but they were no help. He had his bags
packed and was waiting again to go home. At night he had eerie, ear-splitting
nightmares that kept everyone in the squadron awake but Huple, the fifteen-yearold pilot who had lied about his age to get into the Army and lived with his pet cat
in the same tent with Hungry Joe. Huple was a light sleeper, but claimed he never
heard Hungry Joe scream. Hungry Joe was sick” (Heller 51).
The use of each individual chapter in the novel being written for an individual character
helped organize the characterization and the contrast between characters and their
interactions well. "Why,’ sword Yossarian at him approvingly, ‘you evil-eyed,
mechanically-aptituded, disaffiliated son of a bitch, did you walk around with anything in
your cheeks" (Heller 23). Orr manipulated Yossarian into a circle of questions and never
got to the point in answering Yossarian’s question. Heller used interactions like these
between characters to accurately contrast the differences in the insanity characters.
Looking Back At Catch-22 supported the thesis stated in a number of ways. The
article emphasized the relationship and the insanity expressed through the characters
Yossarian and Clevinger, Yossarians squadron mate. It is said that it was Yossarian’s
reflections on the war itself that led him to his insanity. “Clevinger and Yossarian are
certain that the other is crazy. In fact, so far as Yossarian is concerned, everyone is crazy
who thinks that any sense can be made out of getting killed” (Podhoretz 4). Doc
Daneeka’s insanity is almost as strong as Yossarian’s and similar as well. They both
shared the same fear of death and the same attitude about the entire war. While this
article explains a few of the insanities of characters, it also shows that Daneeka and
Yossarian had a healthy, sane fear of death while the others did not. “Boys on every side
of the bomb line were laying down their lives for what they had been told was their
country, and no one seemed to mind lest of all the boys who were laying down their
young lives” (Podhoretz 4). This could go either way in regards to supporting the first
thesis stated. It could show the true insanity between the characters or it could show the
sanity of Yossarian and Daneeka by showing sane reactions and emotions toward the war
– fear and remorse – while the characters that were insane were the ones eager to fly
missions and receive praise from the officers for killing and destroying enemies.
This leads into a second thematic statement that Heller expresses through the
situations that the characters find themselves in. In any situation that one finds them
selves in, there will always be a catch. For officers to receive high, honorable rankings in
the novel, they had to do things that they would eventually resent them self for, such as
killing hundreds of people, or emotionally torturing the men that are assigned under
them. The catch that comes along with the honor of being a high officer was that the
process turned the men insane as well as the high officer. Along with this Catch, there is
also the catch along with being grounded that was cited previously.
The second source focused on a main idea of the satire that Joseph Heller used
throughout his novel. The article goes into great deal about the coined term that Heller
had consequently created when writing Catch-22: a catch. This term is often used today
in the same aspect as in the novel. “This brand new car can be yours by just completing
this user survey!” says a car dealer. “What’s the catch?” replies the victim. In the novel’s
case, the catch pertained to the military procedures and the irony that the situations held.
“Sergeant Whitcomb, for example, feels delighted that twelve more men have been
killed in combat (and they are sent duplicated ‘personalized’ letters of condolence)
because his chances are increased of getting and article in Saturday Evening Post in
praise of his commanding officer” (Walsh 3). A prime example of the catch; in order for
Sergeant Whitcomb to achieve something that he greatly aspired for, being in the post, he
had to benefit from the loss of twelve of his men. The most ironic catch is the entire war
that the squadron was fighting. This applies to the war that Heller had described, and any
war that is experienced outside of the novel. The main goal of any war is to achieve a
great victory, but at what cost? The cost of cities, earth, foreign casualties and deaths, and
even the casualties and deaths of ones own soldiers and citizens.
The situations that the characters were involved in and the characterization in
Heller’s Catch-22 not only revealed the insanity within the characters, but also the true
irony and satire of the war that the characters were fighting.
In conclusion, Heller’s use of characterization and character interactions
prominently shows multiple common themes in the novel. In any situation that one finds
them selves in, there will always be a catch. This theme was expressed through the
dialogue and plot of the novel. Secondly, war is an insane institution that produces
soldiers just as insane as the war. This is expressed through the individual
characterization and the personal thoughts and opinions that characters have on
themselves and their peers; often using their own self as a standard of sanity.
To achieve greatness during this war, there would be a catch. Insanity.
The first thing one thinks about when they think of the 1960’s is most
likely rainbows, flowers, tie-dye, hippies, and peace signs. What people most often look
over were the extreme social, political, and artistic advancements and innovations that
flourished during the 1960’s. Those 10 years were a time for change, a time for
revolution, a time for peace, a time for art, and a time for love. With the civil rights
movements for the equality of African Americans on the rise, the presidency and
assassination of John F. Kennedy, the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnshon, the American
involvement in the Vietnam War, and its protestors all shaped these themes during this
age of youth.
Change. Hope. Security. These words are frequently heard and contemplated by
millions of Americans across the nation. Idealistically, these words describe exactly what
we want in our government and country. One could say that these are major themes of the
21st century, and the same could easily be said for the 1960’s or any other time for that
matter. America is a country that is constantly under renovation and growth. But, these
words are incredibly vast, almost to the point where the meaning behind these ideas are
lost. For the themes of the 1960’s one must dissect the events that occurred to thoroughly
understand the aspirations and ideals that this decade held on to.
A time for change. The civil rights movement and the fight for the equality of
African American people were inevitably on the path for success. “Kennedy emphasized
the need for executive action rather than legislation in the area of civil rights, and for
more than two years after his election, Kennedy pursued that course” (Lord 151). In
1961, President John F. Kennedy was elected. The beginning of the decade showed
positive signs for Civil Rights with Kennedy’s emphasis on the actions taken toward the
Civil Rights movement. The amount of Civil Rights lawyers had increased at the
beginning of Kennedy’s Presidency, making the vision of equal voting rights and
employment rights a battle with stronger forces. Along with the growth in Civil Rights
lawyers, the Kennedy Administration passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which
furthered the success in desegregation of students in public schools. “Armed with these
two laws, as limited as they were, the Justice Department under Attorney General Robert
Kennedy and Burke Marshall, head of the Civil Rights Division, accomplished more for
civil rights in three years than all other previous administrations combined” (Lord 151152). Along with the Kennedy Administration working hard for the equality of African
Americans, Martin Luther King Jr. and the people of the country were fighting for these
rights as well. King led the masses in protest through a nonviolent confrontation similar
civil disobedience that was practiced by Mahatma Ghandi. King was seen as a symbol of
hopes, dreams, equality, and justice, and still is in our modern day. Not only did he
represent the African Americans in their fight for equality, he was looked up to by
woman fighting for civil equality as well. “He spoke of a universal morality, appealed to
a general sense of human justice, and envisioned a ‘beloved community’ that knew no
barriers between people. King’s movement was not about particular rights; its goal was
the moral redemption of the United States” (Steigerwald 43).
A time for revolution. A time for peace.
“Teach me occasionally
Over and over
How to love
And not how to die
To remember and
How to remember
How to ask why and
To ask why
Teach me over
The noise of bombers
That blacken out
The clear blue sky”
(Robbins xvii)
This was a poem written by an activist written by Howard Zinn. He was apart of the
youth and antiwar movement during the 1960’s. The actions taken toward the Vietnam
War led to a youth ran revolution demanding peace. Many individuals saw the Vietnam
War to be ridiculous and pointless: even a way of the United States throwing around its
power and technology. “From 1964 to 1972, the wealthiest and most powerful nation in
the history of the world made a maximum military effort, with everything short of atomic
bombs, to defeat a nationalist revolutionary movement in a tiny peasant country – and
failed” (Zinn 4). As a result of this, the American youth had started the loudest and most
powerful antiwar movement that America had even seen. Student protests were not an
uncommon occurrence during this time. Some of these protests lead to the end of many
government and military programs that these young people were fighting against. For
example the Reserve Officers Training Corps, a college training program to turn
graduates into commissioned officers in the Vietnam War, was canceled in over forty
institutions due to large student protests. “The publicity given to the student protests
created the impression that the oppositions to the war came mostly from middle-class
intellectuals” (Against the Vietnam War 27). The voice of the people, young, old, rich,
and poor, was being heard and actions were being taken based on this word and protest.
This large antiwar movement could easily be said to have ended the Vietnam War.
A time for art. A time for love. A time for peace. The antiwar movement and
artistic world of the 1960’s unified the youth across the nation. “Woodstock became more
than three days of music and counterculture lifestyle. It seemed to symbolize the
possibility of a community built on love, rock ‘n’ roll, drugs, and a communal approach
to the life itself” (Takin’ it to the streets 607-608) Woodstock is a prime example of this
unification of the youth through art and peace. 300,000+ people from all across the nation
traveled hundreds to thousands of miles to attend this three day long festival. Artists that
performed there spoke out to their fellow people. They spoke of music, love, and most
importantly peace. “I went rather casually,’ he wrote, ‘partly because I wanted to hear the
music, and partly because I knew, by word of mouth, that there would be a tremendous
mass of people my age, and I wanted to be part of it” (Takin’ it to the streets 608).
Woodstock was a time that people wanted to live in forever. The individuals that attended
Woodstock felt as if they were in their own division from the world. As mass storms
were reported on the radio, festival go-ers laughed and had no fear toward these storms.
They embraced the weather and what it held for them as they had embraced each other.
Woodstock truly established a separate world on earth in which all of these people all felt
the same sense of community. This sense of community was not one that they had felt out
side of the festival, but had hoped to have in the future.
The 1960’s in a nutshell is the age of the youth. The antiwar movement, civil
rights movement, and artistic movements all seemed to be carried and kept alive by the
youth of America. First, the civil rights movement and the fight for the equality of
African American people were inevitably on the path for success. Second, the actions
taken toward the Vietnam War led to a youth-led revolution demanding peace. Third, the
antiwar movement and artistic world of the 1960’s unified the youth across the nation.
The 1960’s was the time for the youth to show the public what they were made of and the
large effect that they could have on the country. Before this time, the youth were kept
quiet and out of sight as the adults handled the nation. This innovation for the youth
would not be short lived, for today, youth are constantly speaking out and making
dramatic changes in the country.
Our founding fathers worked vigorously to create a government based on freedom
and democracy to ensure a bright future for all who live in it. The rights of all of the
American citizens are granted and protected by the government. For this, not only do we
thank the founding fathers and all who made the American government possible, such as
the soldiers who fought for independence against Britain and the soldiers who fight for
our protection today. But Americans have the United States Constitution to thank for
holding itself up, along with an entire nation. The American Government is one of the
only governments that grant such power and freedom to the individuals that live under it.
America is the home of the free, and governed by such. The focal point of this synthesis
is the 1st Amendment of the United States Constitution. “Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or
abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” (Bill of Rights
Transcript Text). As American citizens, we practice these 5 rights given to us in the 1st
Amendment on a daily basis. Some countries however, do not grant their citizens these
rights. Speaking out against the government is a federal offense and is punished as such
in many other countries. Americans are notorious for taking what they have in their lives
for granted. Be it their cars, their family, theirs jobs, the food on their plates, or the roof
above their head. The 5 rights given to Americans are often taken for granted as well.
During the 1960’s, the youth were on the rise, their voices were being heard, and
they were screaming “Revolution.” They did not like what they saw in the country’s
citizens or in the government. Progressing though the antiwar movement, the youth
walked along side. It was their time for their actions and words to be acknowledged and
their aspiration was of revolution and in America, this could be attainable. Though, it is
attainable through the amount of people revolting, the ideas behind the revolution, and
even money to help support this revolution, the main attribution to the revolution isn’t
even recognized by those revolting. The American Government was founded on the
people and protecting the people and this meant protecting their right to protest. The very
government that the youth were revolting against was the exact institution allowing and
protecting their revolution, under the Constitution. What a catch.
With all of the irony and the use of a catch that Heller applied to every military
situation in the novel, it brought the characters to a point of hopelessness. Heller was
saying this about war it self, that war and all the actions within it are hopeless. Heller’s
Catch-22 represents the situations of irony such as an American revolution. Though the
Catch-22 that pertains to such revolution may be a motive of Heller’s publication of this
novel, the allegory on war and the extremities and insanity that comes along with it was
Heller’s reason for writing this novel. Throughout the book, Heller uses utterly insane
situations and just as insane characters to express his opinion on war. Joseph Heller, a
bombardier himself, obtained a first hand account on war, giving him much material to
work with for his novel. He aspired to show the public the insanity and hopelessness that
was warfare in and out of the battle.
All of Heller’s characters were insane, though all thinking that they were the only
sane man in the squadron. Heller was insistent on the complete insanity, if not already
present in the man before the war, then the insanity that was induced by such a horrific
state that was in fact war. A novel such as this would only aid the antiwar movement
against the Vietnam War, for the soldiers upon their return were mentally and physically
destroyed. The sanity of many soldiers left them as they left American, their families, and
their homes to go fight an unjust war. Just like Heller’s characters, the situations that
these soldiers were facing were utterly horrific and insane. The allegory that Heller wrote
was not only a mockery of the institution of war, but a wake up call to some readers that
never looked beyond the problems on the shores of America.
The 1960’s was the century for youth and revolution, for never before had the
youth of America have such a loud voice and large impact upon the way of life in
America. Previously, the youth were shut out and not taken seriously. The youth
revolution of the 1960’s would change the lives of all the youth for years to come.
Modern day youth are following in the foot steps of the 1960’s youth, for many youth
organizations are flourishing across the country and these organizations are in the process
of making a difference, and some day will, just as the youth of the 1960’s did. After the
1960’s the country would never under estimate the minds and power of the youth again
and never again would the youth under estimate themselves. Change is inevitable, but
those who cause the change, at times can be a dark figure lost in the fog; when least
expected the future emerges from the fog.
Annotated Bibliography
Bill of Rights Transcript Text." Bill of Rights Transcript Text. Web. 16 May 2012.
<http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html>.
The first amendment gives the freedom of speech, religion, petition, assembly, and press. This
source was only used to quote the first amendment.
Bloom, Alexander, and Wini Breines. "Takin' It to the Streets": A Sixties Reader. New York:
Oxford UP, 1995. Print.
A large overview of the 1960's. Topics ranged from Civil Rights, Women's Rights, the Anti-war
Movement, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. It is a very credible secondary source which
also had primary sources within the secondary sources.
Heller, Joseph. Catch-22, a Novel. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1961. Print.
Catch-22 is a satirical novel on war. The story takes place on an island near Italy during World
War II. Joseph Heller takes us through different scenarios and missions with a diverse
group of characters. Insanity and hypocrisy are both prominent themes in this novel.
Li, Xiaobing. Voices from the Vietnam War: Stories from American, Asian, and Russian
Veterans. Lexington, KY: University of Kentucky, 2010. Print.
Stories and accounts from not only American but Vietnamese soldiers during the Vietnam War.
This source has an abundance of primary sources. Some showing the terror and
psychological effect of the Vietnam War.
Logevall, Fredrick. "Lyndon Johnson and Vietnam." JSTOR. Web. 30 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/27552566>.
This article is a secondary source on the topic of Lyndon B Johnson and his actions taken toward
the Vietnam War and the rise of Communism. Hanoi Leadership and U.S. Intervention is
a major concept in this article.
Lord, Donald C. "JFK and Civil Rights." JSTOR. Web. 30 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/27547391>.
A secondary source on the presidency of John F Kennedy and the actions he took toward civil
rights. The Kennedy Administration was very progressive when it came to the civil rights
movement.
Marfleet, B. G. "The Operational Code of John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis: A
Comparison of Public and Private Rhetoric." JSTOR. Web. 30 Mar. 2012.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/3791850>.
This article discussed the Cold War during the 1960's and the Cuban Missile Crisis under the
Kennedy Administration. It also discussed a variety of communist powers during this
time period.
Podhoretz, Norman. "Looking Back At 'Catch-22'" EBSCO. Web. 18 Apr. 2012.
This article expresses the merits of Joseph Heller's Catch-22 and gave a general analysis and
overview of the novel. The analysis pointed out some of the situations and characters and
how they supported certain themes of the novel such as insanity.
Steigerwald, David. The Sixties and the End of Modern America. New York: St. Martin's, 1995.
Print.
This source is a secondary source giving a large overview of the 1960's. It had a lot of credible
information about the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Administrations
of the Presidents during the 1960's.
Walsh, Jeffrey. "Towards Vietnam: Portraying Modern War." Gale, 2003. Web. 30 Mar. 2012.
This source explains and expresses the concept of a 'catch' in the novel. It shows a number of
situations in which the catch is show in the novel. It also discusses the coined term
"Catch-22" that came about after the publication of this novel.
Whittaker, James O. "Psychological Warfare in Vietnam." JSTOR. Web. 30 Mar. 20112.
<http://www.jstor.org/stable/3791991 .>.
This source shared information on Viet Cong, the Chieu Hoi Program, and other warfare states
during Vietnam. The source has a secondary source commentary and a few primary
sources such as writings from soldiers and pictures, drawn and taken by individuals
during the war.
Zinn, Howard and Robbins, Mary Susannah. Against the Vietnam War: Writings by Activists.
Syracuse, NY: Syracuse UP, 1999. Print.
Different stories and opinions are expressed through a variety of authors who were a part of the
anti-war movement in the 1960's. This source is very credible because all of the
individual chapters are primary documents from individuals experiencing America during
the Vietnam War.