"Catch-22" Study Notes

1. Heller introduces to the reader the irony of the situations the characters are going through. He satirizes the idea of war, and how all the soldiers don't really know what they are fighting for. Ideals such as patriotism are looked down upon by the characters: for example, the Texan is a very friendly and patriotic man who is hated by everyone in the hospital and causes everyone to leave the hospital in just a few …

…because of the cliché ending, of the main character obtaining what he always wanted and ending happily. One secretly wants this to happen, but is what one would expect, as in a Hollywood movie. This critic has a negative connotation, claiming Heller ended the book in the most agreeable way. The ending itself is hysterical because, although it is what one expects, it is the opposite of what occurs throughout the novel.