Catch 22 Satire Essay

Submitted By natysalgado
Words: 447
Pages: 2

Essay #3: Point of View
Joseph Heller’s structure of introducing a new character in every chapter aides in the comprehension of the novel as a whole because it gives important background information and flashbacks to key moments in that specific character’s point of view that would have not otherwise been told. In addition, adding a different character per chapter also helps to increase the level of unorganized narration that Heller aimed to achieve. This unorganized narration was confusing to the reader but necessary in order to portray war itself, which is disorganized and jumbled. For example, Chapter 15 begins with the introduction of Piltchard and Wren, and immediately portrays them as good people who obediently and mindlessly follow the institution's orders and have a lack of individuality. These types of characters are essential to the story line because they represent the vast majority of soldiers in the war, who are war-happy and will robotically follow orders by any means necessary. However, Chapter 15 also encompasses the unorganized narration previously mentioned. After introducing Piltchard and Wren, the story focuses on Yossarian and his crew by the cockpit and the dramatic events that unfold there, thus showing how quickly the story can change and how unorganized Yossarian’s storytelling is. Furthermore, in the following chapter, where Luciana is introduced, what seems like a distraction from the war through infatuation and sexual encounters proves to emphasize and enhance Yossarian’s personality traits that would have not been noted had Luciana not been a part of the plot, much like other characters who are introduced. For example, Yossarian’s infatuation with her and later on with the maid show how he finds comfort in pleasure and seeks sensation and enjoyment even