Flashcards for Catch-22

Captain Black

Captain Black serves as the squadron's intelligence officer and stands out as one of Catch-22's most joyfully malevolent minor antagonists.

character

Chief White Halfoat

Chief White Halfoat is a Native American from Oklahoma who serves as a sardonic, hard-drinking intelligence officer in Joseph Heller's Catch-22.

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Clevinger

Clevinger is one of Yossarian's closest friends in the 256th Squadron and represents the novel's embodiment of earnest, idealistic rationalism, contrasting sharply with Yossarian's self-preserving cynicism.

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Colonel Cathcart

Colonel Cathcart commands the American bomber squadron at Pianosa and stands out as one of the novel's main antagonists.

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Doc Daneeka

Doc Daneeka is the flight surgeon for the squadron on Pianosa, used by Joseph Heller to highlight the absurdity and danger of military bureaucracy.

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Dunbar

Dunbar is one of Yossarian's closest friends among the bombardiers of the 256th Squadron, embodying the novel's darkly comic anti-war philosophy.

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General Dreedle

General Dreedle commands the Pianosa air base and serves as one of Joseph Heller's sharpest tools for highlighting the absurdities of military hierarchy.

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Hungry Joe

Hungry Joe is one of the most strikingly tragicomic characters in Catch-22, a combat photographer and bombardier whose psychological breakdown reflects the novel's anti-war themes in a darkly humorous way.

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John Yossarian

John Yossarian is the antihero and main character of Joseph Heller's Catch-22, a B-25 bombardier stationed on the fictional island of Pianosa during World War II.

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Major Major Major Major

Major Major Major Major is one of the most tragicomic characters in Catch-22, defined by absurd institutional forces he cannot control.

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Milo Minderbinder

Milo Minderbinder is the resourceful mess officer in Catch-22 whose journey changes him from a clever cook hustling for fresh eggs for the squadron to the novel's most disturbing representation of the moral emptiness of capitalism.

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Nately

Nately is a young, idealistic bombardier from a wealthy family in New England.

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Nately's Whore

Nately's Whore is a young Roman prostitute working in the brothel where many Pianosa airmen spend their off-duty hours.

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Orr

Orr is Yossarian's small, cheerful, and seemingly bumbling tentmate in Joseph Heller's Catch-22, whose true significance only becomes clear in the novel's final pages.

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The Chaplain (Albert Taylor Tappman)

The Chaplain, Albert Taylor Tappman, serves as the Anabaptist minister for the American bomber squadron on Pianosa and stands out as one of the most poignant characters in the novel.

character

“He was going to live forever, or die in the attempt.”

This darkly comic line is from Joseph Heller's Catch-22 (1961) and is about Yossarian, the novel's anti-hero bombardier stationed on the fictional island of Pianosa during World War II.

Narrator (about Yossarian) · Chapter 29 (Milo and Piltchard & Wren)

“Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you.”

This darkly comic line is delivered by Yossarian, the main character, and captures one of Joseph Heller's key satirical points in Catch-22 (1961).

Yossarian

“Hungry Joe collected lists of fatal diseases and arranged them in alphabetical order so that he could put his finger without delay on any one he wanted to worry about.”

This line showcases the narrator's sardonic take on Hungry Joe, one of the many quirky bombardiers in Joseph Heller's Catch-22 (1961).

Narrator (third-person omniscient) · Chapter 4 – Doc Daneeka

“The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on.”

This line is spoken by Yossarian, the novel's sardonic protagonist, in Joseph Heller's Catch-22 (1961).

Yossarian

“Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.”

This sardonic remark comes from the narrator in Joseph Heller's Catch-22 (1961) and refers to Major Major Major Major, the unfortunate squadron commander whose name seals his fate in a life of unearned, unavoidable mediocrity.

Narrator · 9 (Major Major Major Major)

“He had decided to live forever or die in the attempt, and his only mission each time he went up was to come down alive.”

This line introduces Yossarian, the protagonist of the novel and a World War II bombardier stationed on the fictional island of Pianosa.

Narrator (describing Yossarian) · Chapter 1 – The Texan

“What a lousy earth! He wondered how many people were destitute that same night even in his own prosperous country.”

This passage is from Joseph Heller's Catch-22 (1961), seen through Yossarian's thoughts as he roams the streets of Rome during the intense "Eternal City" chapter.

Yossarian (narrative consciousness) · The Eternal City (Chapter 39)

Catch-22 (The Rule)

In Joseph Heller's Catch-22, the rule itself serves as the novel's main symbol of the absurdity of institutions and the overwhelming power of bureaucracy.

M & M Enterprises / The Syndicate

In Joseph Heller's Catch-22, Milo Minderbinder's M & M Enterprises highlights the moral void and self-sustaining logic of unchecked capitalism.

Orr's Escape to Sweden

In Joseph Heller's Catch-22, Orr's escape to Sweden represents a bold act of rational defiance against a chaotic and overwhelming system.

Snowden's Death

In Joseph Heller's Catch-22, Snowden's death serves as the central symbol of the brutal and dehumanizing nature of war.

The Soldier in White

In Joseph Heller's Catch-22, the Soldier in White symbolizes the dehumanizing nature of modern bureaucracy and war.

Irony

Irony drives the entire novel.

Paradox

The title phrase is a paradox: Catch-22 claims that 'a concern for one's own safety in the face of real and immediate dangers is a sign of a rational mind,' but that rationality actually disqualifies one from using the insanity plea needed to avoid danger.

Extended Metaphor

Catch-22 serves as a powerful metaphor for the endless cycle of bureaucratic authority.

Motif

The dying gunner Snowden is a recurring theme throughout the novel.

Repetition

Heller employs repetition both structurally and within sentences to reflect the circular logic of military bureaucracy.

Narrative Poem

Heller intentionally disrupts traditional storytelling by naming chapters after characters instead of events.

Hyperbole

Heller's hyperbole is so consistently applied that it becomes the novel's usual tone.

Allusion

The novel is filled with ironic biblical and classical references.

Personification

Abstract forces are often given human traits to illustrate how they gain a life of their own, separate from human intent.

Juxtaposition

Heller consistently contrasts the comedic and the catastrophic within individual scenes or even single sentences.

Dramatic Monologue

Several chapters take the form of extended dramatic monologues that reveal a character's worldview through their speech.

malingerer

A person who pretends to be sick or injured in order to avoid work or duty. Yossarian checks himself into the hospital with a fake illness to stay out of combat.

noun · Chapter 1

clause

A specific condition or rule within a larger regulation or agreement. Here it refers to the particular provision of Catch-22 that traps the men logically.

noun · Chapter 1

censoring

Officially reading and blacking out parts of letters or documents to prevent sensitive information from being shared. Yossarian does this absurdly, deleting random words for his own amusement.

verb · Chapter 1

evasive action

Deliberate maneuvers a pilot makes to dodge enemy fire during a bombing run, such as changing speed or direction unpredictably.

phrase · Chapter 3

happy-go-lucky

Cheerfully unconcerned about danger or consequences; carefree to the point of recklessness in a situation where others feel fear.

adjective · Chapter 3

rational

Based on clear, logical thinking rather than emotion or fear. In Catch-22, being rational is itself the trap — a sane man must keep flying because his fear proves his sanity.

adjective · Chapter 3

grounded

Officially prohibited from flying, usually for medical or psychological reasons. A pilot who is grounded is removed from combat flight duty.

verb · Chapter 4

drafted

Compulsorily enlisted into military service by the government, without having volunteered. The person has no choice but to serve.

verb · Chapter 4

buzzed

Flew an aircraft very low and fast over a place, close enough to cause alarm or noise. McWatt does this over the tents as a thrill-seeking stunt.

verb · Chapter 4

pneumonia

A serious lung infection that can be fatal, especially without treatment. Chief White Halfoat has chosen it as his preferred way to die, deliberately drinking to weaken himself.

noun · Chapter 5

emaciated

Extremely thin and weak from lack of food or illness, to the point where the body looks wasted away.

adjective · Chapter 6

villain of the piece

The person or thing most to blame for a problem or bad situation. Used ironically here, since the 'villain' is a cat.

phrase · Chapter 6

Krafft-Ebing

A famous 19th-century medical book cataloguing sexual disorders and deviant behavior, written by the psychiatrist Richard von Krafft-Ebing. Its presence signals that Scheisskopf's wife reads it for titillation.

noun · Chapter 8

straitjackets

Restraining garments with long sleeves that tie behind the back, used to prevent violent or mentally ill people from moving their arms. Here considered as a tool for controlling soldiers.

noun · Chapter 8

mediocrity

The quality of being average, unremarkable, and lacking any special talent or distinction. The novel uses it to describe Major Major's entire existence as defined by ordinariness.

noun · Chapter 9

mimeograph

An early office duplicating machine that prints copies of typed documents using a stencil and ink. Controlling one gave Wintergreen enormous unofficial power over military communications.

noun · Chapter 10

busted back

Reduced in military rank as a punishment, losing stripes and pay. Wintergreen is repeatedly demoted to the lowest rank of private.

phrase · Chapter 10

subversive

A person considered a threat to authority or the established order because they undermine or refuse to comply with its rules and demands.

noun · Chapter 11

loyalty oath

A formal written pledge of allegiance to a government, institution, or cause, which a person is required to sign to prove they are not a traitor or enemy.

phrase · Chapter 11

free enterprise

An economic system in which private individuals run businesses for profit with minimal government control. Milo uses the phrase to justify his war-profiteering syndicate.

phrase · Chapter 13

leonine

Resembling a lion, especially in having a large, impressive, mane-like head. Used to convey that de Coverley has a powerful, commanding physical presence.

adjective · Chapter 13

austere

Stern, severe, and without warmth or decoration; conveying strict self-discipline and an intimidating seriousness.

adjective · Chapter 13

syndicate

A business organization in which multiple parties share ownership and profits. Milo's M & M Enterprises is his personal war-profiteering network disguised as a cooperative.

noun · Chapter 10

patriot

A person who claims devoted love and support for their country. Used ironically here, since the character is exploiting the war for personal gain while performing loyalty.

noun · Chapter 11

procurement

The act of obtaining or acquiring supplies, goods, or materials, especially for an organization or military operation. Milo travels the Mediterranean buying and trading goods for his syndicate.

noun · Chapter 22