Catch-22
(chapter41)
SNOWDEN

Catch-22 is a satirical , historical novel by the American author
Joseph Heller , first published in 1961. The novel, set during the later stages of World War II from 1943 onwards, is frequently cited as one of the great literary works of the twentieth century .
Catch-22 follows Captain John Yossarian in his exploits as a bombardier in the U.S. Air
Force during World War II . Yossarian has one wish: to survive the madness of wartime culture. He's convinced that everyone is trying to kill him, a notion that sometimes arises in a war where…everyone is trying to kill one another. Yossarian has to survive the dangerous combat missions he flies, while Colonel Cathcart continues to increase the number of missions his men must complete.

Yossarian awakens in the hospital where several incompetent doctors quibble over performing unnecessary surgery on Yossarian's wound.
The chaplain visits and praises Yossarian for protecting
Colonel Cathcart from a Nazi assassin. Yossarian recognizes the lie and tells the chaplain that it was Nately's whore who stabbed him, not a Nazi murderer.
The chaplain is disappointed when Yossarian explains
Colonel Cathcart's despicable bargain. Yossarian redeems his honor when he decides against the deal.

A mysterious man in a bathrobe seizes Yossarian in the night and torments him by repeating, "We've got your pal, buddy. We've got your pal."
Disturbed, Yossarian lies awake in a cold sweat and thinks of Snowden. Neatly bandaging the large wound in
Snowden's thigh, Yossarian thought the poor kid was in the clear. Upon closer inspection, though, Yossarian realized a chunk of flak had ripped through his side. Covered in
Snowden's gory entrails, Yossarian would long be haunted by
Snowden's dying whimpers and his own inability to comfort or cure him.

Awaken in the hospital
Conversation
Strange man come back
Remember
Snowden
Yossarian wakes up in the hospital, just as two incompetent surgeons are about to start cutting into him .
The chaplain visits and praises Yossarian for protecting
Colonel Cathcart from a Nazi assassin. Yossarian recognizes the lie and tells the truth. The chaplain is disappointed when
Yossarian explains Colonel Cathcart's despicable bargain.
Yossarian redeems his honor when he decides against the deal. the strange man with the mean face comes back and repeats his message: "We've got your pal, buddy." Yossarian, scared, tries to strangle him, but the man escapes.
He remembers a time he felt similarly scared and helpless, in the plane above Avignon, as he helped Snowden dress his wounds.

John Yossarian
A paranoid bombardier who thinks everyone is trying to kill him .
Behave insanity and rebelliously to refuse flying combat missions by all means possible
Snowden
A member of Yossarian's flight during a mission,
Acts as catalyst for the fundamental change in
Yossarian's mentality and outlook.
Chaplain
An Anabaptist minister who is shy and self-conscious. has a burst of confidence at the end.
He vows to stand up to authority and to persevere .

Absurdity
In Catch-22, Heller exaggerates and juxtaposes character traits and situations for a purely comic effect.
Hypocrisy
Even though the logic of Catch-22 seems contradictory and irrational, it makes sense and can be applied logically in the world of the novel.
Power
Heller goes to great lengths to point out the incompetence, pettiness, and corruption within the bureaucratic ranks. In
Catch-22, the bureaucracy shows more brutality towards their own men than they show towards the enemy.
Fear
War and constant death tend to breed fear. Characters in this novel have no trust or faith, and live in constant fear of betrayal

The hospital as a symbol of shelter and safety
Snowden's guts as a symbol of man's mortality
The increasing number of missions as a symbol of injustice and absurdity
Milo Minderbinder as a symbol of capitalism and greed

Catch-22
Setting
Pianosa, an island off the coast of Italy
Genre
Satire and Parody;
War Drama
Writing Style
Verbose, Repetitive
Tone
Satirical, Mocking

外商（
）班
张晓菁