Analysis Of Joseph Heller's Catch-22

During and after World War II, masses of people began to question authority and rebel against the concept of going into combat with other nations. Joseph Heller took advantage of the tone of this time period and composed a critical book on war, based off of his experiences as a pilot in the army. Catch-22 depicts a series of events in a group of soldiers’ lives in the war. Heller, a veteran of the war, exploited the reality of war through various perspectives of soldiers, especially Yossarian, the protagonist. After its publication in 1961, many people began to question his writing because of the comical tone it used to discuss such a gruesome topic. Heller drafted this novel in order to bring the realities of war to light. His historical piece …show more content…
However, these controversies only reflect the purpose of his novel, and his book should be taught to students because it highlights a critical time in history and is a critical novel to understand the past and the war. Long before going to war, which inspired the writing of Catch-22, Joseph Heller was born in New York in 1923, and nineteen years later he enlisted in the Army Air Corps to fight for America in World War II (Joseph Heller Biography). Two years preceding his initial enlistment, he was sent to Corsica where he flew sixty combat missions as a fighter pilot, like Yossarian (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica Up). His three years in the military was his inspiration behind writing Catch-22, and he continued to write noteworthy books later in his career. Unlike Yossarian, however, Heller claims to have enjoyed his experience in the …show more content…
Nelson Algren named Catch-22, “not merely the best American novel to come out of World War II; it is the best American novel to come out of anywhere in years.” Heller's use of setting and satirical representation of war was brilliant in the eyes of people of the postwar era. Despite the excitement, however, Catch-22 was challenged in schools and banned to be taught to a class. It was first challenged in Strongsville, Ohio in 1972, for its use of indecent language, and in Dallas, Texas, Independent School District high school libraries in 1974 (Doyle). Additionally, a ban was requested in Snoqualmie, Washington, in 1979, due to its implications that women are, “whores,” (Doyle). Although some argue that the language in this novel deem it as inappropriate, it is still administered to schools around the world for its gripping account of history. The scarce measures taken against this book indicate that it is not a highly controversial book that must be kept away from impressionable teens, moreover, it is a depiction of history that can benefit a school of

Show More

Related Documents: Analysis Of Joseph Heller's Catch-22

Book Banning in Libraries Essay