catch-22
... also satirized when Heller makes fun of the "official" jargon used by military personnel. Sarcasm could be considered a counterpart of satire. The characters portrayed in the novel use sarcasm profusely. The author's view is made clear with the blatant sarcasm used by both Yossarian and the narrator: "...how much reverence can you have for a supreme Being who finds it necessary to include such phenomena as phlegm and tooth decay in His divine system of creation?" Irony is another important aspect of the novel. Irony is an integral part of the "Catch-22" philosophy. The irony of the "catch" is that it perpetuates itself. A great description of the "catch" and an example of irony can be found. http://www.sc.edu/library/spcoll/amlit/heller.html Yossarian looked at him soberly and tried anothe approach. "Is Orr crazy?" "He sure is," Doc Daneeka said. "Can you ground him?""I sure can. But first he has to ask me to.That's part of the rule.""Then why doesn't he ask you to?""Because he's crazy," Doc Daneeka said."He has to be crazy to keep flying combat missions after all the close calls he's had. Sure I can ground him. But first he hasto ask me to.""And then you can ground him?" Yossarian asked."No. Then I can't ground him.""You mean there's a catch?""Sure there's a catch," Doc Daneeka replied."Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn't really crazy." Louis Hasley states: "The humor in Catch-22 is only secondary...the unalleviated horror is where the message lies. The book's humor does not alleviate the horror, it heightens it by contrast". The horrific events described in Catch-22 would normally prescribe a "serious" novel. However, one finds himself chuckling and laughing throughout. The book remains quite serious,though. Hadley writes: "[the] alternating play of humor and horror create a dramatic tension". Repetition and parallel structure are evident throughout Catch-22. Although manysituations have a recurring and cyclical theme, oftentimes these situations vary in exactness. For instance, through the use of flashbacks, exact time and experiences ...