Catch-22: Is high school ready for Heller?

I consider it a minor victory when my students laugh. A mere handful in the corner busting out with snickers can be the spark that gets the class discussion going. And when the entire class bursts into a chorus of laughter—laughing with me and not at me, although, even the latter will do—for some reason, I feel that I’ve reached a state of pedagogical Nirvana and can do no wrong. At the very least, I recognize that I’m on to something when I’ve tantalized them with humor. Not every student in my high school classroom feels life’s pulse through literature or the urgency to exist through h/er own writing, but humor can be the welcoming invitation, the joke the hook.

Still, the discussion of more serious—even depressing—topics such as war can be a challenge when I’m struggling to engage students in the conversation. During such solemn discussions, often the classroom carries an air closely resembling a funeral service than a place of intellectual enlightenment. Hardly the mood for inspiration. This may be the result of following the safe path thematically—posing and reconfirming the universal “war is hell” stance, proceeding to provide examples in literature that reveal the horrors of war. Sadly, actualizing this universal theme through literature has difficulty in reaching a generation that has at once become desensitized to graphic violence and arguably has found less strength in the written word. Moreover, any attempt to crack a joke in attempt to break this somber mood in class might be interpreted as an insult to the fallen soldiers. Any teacher’s attempt to engage students in such an important and complex moral subject as war without any major psychological resistance can surely become a pedagogical catch-22.

However, the use of humor has the potential of taking an alternative perspective on the generally morose discussion of war. Using humor to understand aspects of war can pierce traditional classroom discourse, tear open the discussion and shed light on a calloused topic. Heller’s Catch-22 can be the vehicle to achieve this. Albeit a long and sophisticated narrative, this novel has episodes of absurdist comedy that, when compared to examples using traditional tropes (e.g., the horror of war, the effect on soldiers, patriotism, man as base animal, etc.), reach an alternative, and, arguably, fresh understanding of war.

Yet I resist the temptation to attempt to tackle the complexity of Catch-22 in its entirety. Not only would it be impossible to teach everything Catch-22 has to offer, but to do so would also contradict an important idea that the novel proposes: that institutions can be in control of an individual’s liberty to an excess. There is a degree of defiance of authority in a student’s reading of Catch-22 on h/er own, something that a teacher need not micromanage in the classroom. However, clarifying Heller’s use of absurdity to make a point about war and the institutions that run them rather than being a mish-mash of pointless mischief (although, coming to that conclusion may not be too far off of Heller’s point). Before even launching into the novel, understanding the catch-22 expression can help students establish the right frame of mind for Heller’s whirlwind of absurdity. When students understand how the phrase applies to situations in their world it may be easier for them to accept the absurdist logic that dictates the action in the novel. Otherwise the world of Catch-22 may be a tough sell to make.

From there the character of Yossarian can be the compass from which I guide the students through the novel, helping them to identify key scenes that not only exemplify the absurdity of the military bureaucracy, but also the futility of his resistance to conform to the war machine. By taking this approach, rather than the war is pure hell motif so oft illustrated through Remarque’s All Quiet on the Western Front or Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage, I’m deflecting the American mentality and rhetoric that is usually associated with war. Namely, the us vs. them mentality—- where the enemy rather than our own leaders is responsible for maintaining the brutal conditions. There is no real enemy to speak of in the novel; there is only the conflict between officers dictating inhumane orders to enlisted men who either find ways to escape mentally or physically.

A number of scenes where Yossarian fights Colonel Cathcart’s relentless upping of missions with hypochondria, finding anything condition that will get him grounded can provide the insight into Heller’s method of absurdity. This is all advanced through the initial conversation Yossarian has with Doc Daneeka regarding the logic of Catch-22 (45-6). Although this may be difficult to follow for some students, the circular logic and the confusion that ensues can be a reminder when getting caught up in the other examples of illogic, convicting Clevinger via rhetorical entrapment, the military’s recognition of Doc Daneeka’s technical but not actual death (and the inverse for Mudd).

These examples are not too far removed from the outrageous cartoons students are watching today. Making the bridge between the physically absurd worlds of Looney Toons or the black comedy of Family Guy can help students understand the episodic feel for many of the scenes in Catch-22. Exposing students to Theatre of the Absurd, showing clips of Monty Python or excerpts of any Becket play may help provide perspective to these scenes. This will break the comedy from the page—an essential before coming back to the darker side of the novel: the horror of war.

These absurd episodes throughout the novel are juxtaposed to one key scene repeated cyclically—that of Snowden’s death. The horror of war, the killing of the young and innocent is symbolized in Snowden’s death. There are other episodes in the novel that are no less horrific—Captain Aardvark’s rape and murder of the young Italian girl, or the other accidental deaths or disappearances of Yossarian’s company—but they are the fault of the officers themselves and not direct casualties of war. In other words, they are accidents and not deaths brought on by enemy fire. Snowden, however, is a victim of direct enemy fire. Moreover, because this scene is repeated a number of times, it holds greater significance. It is through his death that students can understand the intentions behind Heller’s black comedy. Heller chooses to bombard the reader with institutional absurdities rather than with graphic violence in the deaths of countless soldiers.

In covering of this novel, we cannot avoid the connection to the War in Iraq. The novel may lead the discussion into a political reference. But rather than focus on the current administration’s policy on the war exclusively, we can focus on policies held by a number of governments during times of war. We can focus on the appeals made by the military to potential enlisted men throughout history, propaganda posters of World War I to the military advertisements of today. By addressing what appeals are being made to the viewer, we deconstruct the impulse to join the cause—asking ourselves: What emotions do these mediums of persuasion stir in the viewer? What values do they compel the viewer to hold dear? This will invariably lead our conversation to the kind of soldier has been constructed through these appeals. Through these appeals, leading into other mediums such as cartoons and film, we will be analyzing what the American mythos of the soldier looks like. It may be difficult for students within this culture to step out and take a critical look at America as a military culture (this may also result in a few concerned parents who perceive this as “America bashing” and calling the principal in disapproval). Instead, we can start with a more global perspective, looking generally at common methods of recruitment and what kind of mythos this creates for a country.

This background-building activity may help guide our discussion back to the issue of Yossarian. Although he might be the classic anti-hero, we must question whether his actions are truly cowardly. Given that he has completed the highest number of missions in the squadron, it is hard to excuse his service entirely. To get a modern perspective on soldier morale, the students can also reference a number of blogs of soldiers stationed in Iraq. Given the harsh circumstances of war, students must decide whether the hero mythos that we’ve created in our culture is realistic or even beneficial.

Undoubtedly, Catch-22 will leave many confused, shuddering in the wake of a sophisticated narrative style. There is no harm, however, in exposing students to Heller’s masterwork even if it is a scratch at the surface. Heller’s use of comedy in light of such serious matter as war may at least provide fodder for perspective-change. Myopic as adolescence may be, students may be able to relate to Yossarian’s desire for freedom within an institution that keeps him down.