Essay On Black Humor In Joseph Heller's Catch-22
In Postmodern Era, postmodern authors often treat very serious subjects like World War II, the Cold War, conspiracy theories from a position of distance and disconnect, and choose to depict their histories ironically and humorously, and this is clearly seen in Heller’s Catch-22. The novel does not tell its story in chronological order but starts in the middle and jumps backwards and forward in time. The narrative is structured around chapters that focus on individual characters such as Colonel Cathcart, the squadron commander, or A.T. Tappman, the base chaplain. It is also structured around extended sequences that stretch out over several chapters, such as the Great Big Siege of Bologna or the scenes of Yossarian and the other men on leave in Rome. A few episodes are returned to …show more content…
Heller’s novel incorporates the black humour that became popular in the 1960s, and that was used by the generation to deal with the tensions they faced in the political and cultural realms. There is much that can be learned about America in the 1960s by studying the humour that so aptly reflects the mindset of the culture of this time. This dark yet humorous novel presents a cynical view of the military and other institutions; a view which many people seemed to share during the mid-20th century. While the novel is somewhat narrowly focused on criticizing the American military and the bureaucracy that supports it, it is still well received by a vast audience. The reason that such a cynical work could be so popular is due to the humor Heller uses to convey his message. Catch-22 is effective because the reader laughs at the absurdities of war and of the military in general. Using satire, black humour and seemingly undefeatable logic, the book argues that war is insane, that the military is insane, and that, quite probably, modern life itself is insane
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