Essay on Satire, Sarcasm, and Irony in Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Satire, Sarcasm, and derision in Catch-22 Joseph the Tempters narration, dialogue, and characterization in Catch-22 all create a queer perspective of war and our societys bureaucracy. The satire, sarcasm, irony, and general absurdity of the novel provide a view of the irrationality of mans behavior. The horror that is portrayed in Catch-22 is intensified by the humorous way in which it is portrayed. Distortion and exaggeration highlight the characters and scenario time magnifying the confusion. Parallel structure and repetition serve to reinforce the novels themes. The most principal(prenominal) and prevalent aspects of Hellers style are satire, sarcasm, and irony. Heller pokes fun at the faults of society. At the same time, this humor emphasizes Hellers social commentary much more in effect than he could by simply coming out and stating his opinion. Satire is curiously important in Catch-22. It is often used to highlight the idiocy of the forces hierarchy. It also convey s a sense of humor that opposes and intensifies the dark seriousness of the book. manner of speaking is 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 authors view is made clear with the exigent sarcasm used by both Yossarian and the narrator ...how much esteem can you have for a supreme Being who finds it necessary to let in such phenomena as phlegm and tooth decay in His divine outline of creation?( 98) Irony is another important aspect of the novel. Irony is an inbuilt part of the Catch-22 philosophy. The irony of the catch is that it perpetuates itsel... ... in the novel. For example Im frore, Snowden said softly. Im cold Youre going to be all right, kid, Yossarian reassured him with a grin. Youre going to be all right. Im cold, Snowden said again in a frail, childlike voice. Im cold. There, there, Yossarian said , because he did not know what else to say. There, there. Im cold, Snowden whispered. Im cold. There, there. There, there. All of these aspects of style come together genuinely well. They play off of each other and are combined well and appropriately. It is this culmination of styles that makes Catch-22 so effective. Works Cited and Consulted Heller, Joseph. Catch-22. New York. Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. Kennard, Jean E. Joseph Heller At War with Absurdity. Contemporary Literary Criticism.(75-87) Ed. Roger Matuz. DetroitL Gale 1990.