Argument Heller used juxtaposition and the idea of "déjà vu" to create the insight on the world that Yossarian had been it at the time (World War 2). By the use of "black" comedy and the influence of works such as Crime and Punishment and Dante's Inferno, Heller was able to craft such a fine "epic" that there are authors today who use the similar style of non-organized (or non-chronological) order - such as William Faulkner. Evidence * "Most significant is Heller's incremental repetition of the Snowden episode; he presents fragments of the scene and builds to a climax where Yossarian learns the extent of his gunner's injuries." * "Heller relies heavily upon patterns of recurrence-whether of scene, image, or verbal exchange-so that the reader experiences a sense of deja vu." * "Heller uses the technique of black humor, juxtaposing comic and tragic effects, mixing the slapstick with the grotesque." Thoughts This article stresses the importance of the non-chronological order that Heller had to defend upon Catch-22's initial release - in which critics were just stupid and though he did it out of panic and misrepresentation rather than using it as a true surface style with meaning.

Author is not stated directly - blocks the page when clicking on source information (@ school).

Argument: Heller's novel combines the "dual" categories of satire - comic and tragic - in an excellent manner. His use of the juxtaposed satirical elements allows the true horrors of war to appear clear to the reader. The characters are strong and while the plot is not in chronological order, the purpose behind the clutter is clear: there is corruption in military command and war is no delight. Evidence: * "Heller also makes great use of caricature and hyperbole to underline the enormous madness of war." (Topham) * "The beauty of Catch-22 is the way that it is able to switch between the tragic and the comic." (Topham) * "According to the doctor, "Catch-22" is a military rule, which means that a madman can't fly. However, the survival instinct is a sane reaction to the madness of war. Therefore the only people who can ask to be grounded are those who don't want to be." (Topham) Thoughts A short article to base the positive - albeit general - themes of Catch-22. It has a great description at the end that clarifies what Catch-22 means - I even learned it had to due with a military code or rule. Further clarified the horrors of war and the juxtaposed comedic and tragic elements that consume Yossarian.

Argument: * Russ Allbery breaks down Catch-22 as a great novel, but not without its flaws. What makes this review and criticism so imporant in research of Heller's novel are the (opinion-based) negative sides of the novel as a whole. Such negative connotations include the "monotonous" circle made by Heller in arguments (such as paradox made by not ordering combat missions chronologically when related to the novel's conclusion) and the fact that many would categorize the story with a main theme of humor - which Allbery denies is the core of Heller's work. Allbery goes on to summarize how the term "Catch-22" was integrated into the English language (via slang) and that Heller's work is truly a 'best-of' even if flaws persist. Evidence: * "Catch-22 didn't entirely succeed for me as a comedy. The huge ensemble cast was mostly too unbelievable and exaggerated for me to find funny" (Allbery) * "Due in part to the way that Heller stresses paradoxes and insoluable conflict, the writing can be quite repetitive and a bit circular." (Allbery) * "Heller provides as a clue the linearly increasing number of missions the airmen had to fly before theoretically being allowed to rotate home, but ordering can still be frustrating." (Allbery) * "The war acts in this book like a force of nature. Nearly everyone just accepts that it's happening and tries to ignore it, or revels in fighting it, without really thinking about it. It's only Yossarian, normally trying to maintain a long-suffering sarcasm, who occasionally can't help but tell the blunt truth." (Allbery) Thoughts: * While this is somewhat an opinionated "summary" of Catch-22, it is the only review I have that stresses some of the negative sides to the novel; from my view, the strengths of the novel further stand out amidst these criticisms. It is a strong point to make that Heller used too many "circle arguments" for it shows his position in writing the novel and how certain themes may have lead