Since the story, which is Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, is a war story, the main conflict at the outset is the war itself and how it affects different types of people. Specifically this is about the main characters Yossarian who wants to get out of the war as soon as possible. This is because he sees war as solely one in which he is putting his life at risk and everyone is trying to kill him, rather than seeing it as a patriotic quest to fight for America. His views contrast with a patriotic Texan who serves as a foil to Yossarian, because he constantly views war as a noble enterprise in help America. Since this is a satirical novel, it is unclear how the character will receive a resolution other than Yossarian not having to fight the war anymore.
So far, the book as whole has been satisfactory but the diction is complex but sometimes extremely simple and somewhat similar to The Things They Carried. While researching this book, I found out that this was a satirical novel, and this is evident in the first chapter as the book starts out with Yossarian faking a condition in order to be temporarily discharged from duty. However, as the Texan later comes in, spewing his pro American sentiments, all of his mates from the ward miraculously recover and/or get sent to other wards to stop dealing with it. This immediately starts off the tone of the book as satirical and suggests throughout the upcoming chapters this will continue to be the same.
Children aren’t meant for war but neither are men – what Yossarian would say.
