Literature Analysis Books

Catch 22 

- Joseph Heller

Setting: Italian coast at the end of World War ll.

Summary: Captain Yossarian is stationed on the coast of Italy. He is a different individual, who believes that everyone is out to get him. He seems to think that the war he is in has nothing to do with politics; he believes that the war is ONLY against him. Sometimes his paranoia gets the best of him, but his goal is to finish his service in the army and return home. His fear of flying, according to the regulation Catch 22, suggests that one is insane and want to prove they are sane by staying grounded. Catch 22 is seen several times throughout the novel, each with different meanings. It "catches" people with illogical reasoning, that basically goes in circles. Yossarian does whatever he can to avoid flying, whether it is faking stomach problems, or a sweet potato flue outbreak. Yossarian has seen some of the worst things that someone can see in war. He watched his friends get killed, and other sacrifice their own men just to make themselves look reputable. Yossarian is troubled by his friend's death, especially Nately's. He settles into a deep depression where he ends up walking around the streets of Rome. 

^This video helps describe what a catch 22 is. 

*Definition of Catch 22: a logical paradox arising from a situation in which an individual needs something that can only be acquired with an action that will lead him to that very situation he is already in; therefore, the acquisition of this thing becomes logically impossible. A catch-22 is a logical conundrum in which someone is essentially trapped, no matter what decision is made.

Themes: 

1. Loss of individuality

2. War is irrational 

Tone: satirical/sarcastic

“Haven’t you got anything humorous that stays away from waters and valleys and God? I’d like to keep away from the subject of religion altogether if we can.”

"Who's they?" he wanted to know. "Who, specifically, do you think is trying to murder you?"

"Why did you walk around with crab apples in your cheeks?..."

Literary Techniques

Tone: The author's use of satirical tone creates a sense of what the characters are like and what they believe in. Sarcasm also helps the reader dramatically see what the character believes in and what they value. 

"I’d like to keep away from the subject of religion altogether if we can.”

Setting: The author uses war to set a tone of sadness and depression. The catch 22 relates to war because there really is no way out, and nothing anyone can do to remove themselves from the situation.

Syntax/ Diction: Heller uses a choice of words and arrangement that enlightens the reader with the characters insight. the wording builds the character's personality and gives a depth that otherwise would not have been noticed. 

"And don't tell me God works in mysterious ways," Yossarian continued. … "There's nothing mysterious about it, He's not working at all. He's playing. Or else He's forgotten all about us. That's the kind of God you people talk about, a country bumpkin, a clumsy, bungling, brainless, conceited, uncouth hayseed. Good God, how much reverence can you have for a Supreme Being who finds it necessary to include such phenomena as phlegm and tooth decay in His divine system of Creation? What in the world was running through that warped, evil, scatological mind of His when He robbed old people of the power to control their bowel movements? Why in the world did He ever create pain?" P.179

Symbolism: The white soldiers represent inhumanity. They are not viewed as indviduals, but as army men who all have the same goal. Soldiers are portrayed as one type of person with one goal, and one dream..Insanity plays a symbol of a cry for help.

 "an unreasonable belief that everybody around him was crazy, a homicidal impulse to machine-gun strangers, retrospective falsification, an unfounded suspicion that people hated him and were conspiring to kill him." 

"You're inches away from death every time you go on a mission. How much older can you be at your age?"

"Catch-22...says you've always got to do what your commanding officer tells you to."

Foreshadowing: Increasing number of missions shows the hopelessness for the soldiers and how there is no end to what they are doing..

"But they don't say you have to go home. And regulations do say you have to obey every order. That's the catch."

Bless Me Ultima

1. Bless Me Ultima is set in Guadalupe, New Mexico. It is during the time of WW2. The main character Antonio Marez. His curandera Ultima tries to stop the madness between the daughters of Tenorio (antagonist). Antonio struggles throughout the story when he witnesses the death of people. He ponders religious questions as well as moral problems. He has to choose between two lifestyles: crazy and wild or calm and sane. Religion becomes and issue in this decision because Antonio tries to figure out who he is and what religion he chooses to follow, if any at all. 

2. Theme: Influence on family and religion: Antonio has to make a lot of decisions throughout the story when it comes to religion and how his family tries to make decisions for him. Different cultures try to mess with his identity and that had a big impact on who he was in life. 

Personal Values: Antonio has to decide what he wants to value in life whether it is family, religion, or morals. He has to make his own decisions and balance them out with the ideas of others. He has so many people trying to change who he is that it becomes a challenge to keep his identity.

3. There was a very modern and casual tone used: "God! Why did Lupito die? Why do you allow the evil of the Trementinas?" "Why did you allow Narciso to be murdered when he was doing good?" "Hell, Andy,' Gene said softly, 'we can't build out lives on their dreams."

4. Literary Elements:

1. Syntax/diction: As mentioned above, the author's use of everyday tone made it very easy for me to understand what was going on. 'we can't build out lives on their dreams."

2. Tone: The author's tone was causal and made it easy for me to read what was happening without reading it over and over. Reading the book a second time helped me develop a better understanding.

3. Direct Characterization: Descriptions of characters helped me envision what each person looked like and helped me remember who they were. When the author writes it out directly, it sticks in my mind and I can always remember who they are even if they aren't mentioned for a while.

4. Indirect Characterazaion: I love when the author has the reader figure out what a character is like through their actions. Antonio is a good example of a character that was indirectly described. I felt like I got to know him like he was a friend of mine.

5. Imagery: The description of setting made me think of where it was and when I closed my eyes I felt like I was there. I felt a sense of imagery within the characters as well, and it helped with my imagining of their character. 

Lit Analysis Questions

1. Set in the great depression, a man named Jacob Jankowski recalls memories of his younger days. He lives in a nursing home for the elderly, and spends the majority of the story talking about his intriguing days he had in the circus.

2. The theme of this novel involves dealing with death. On several occasions Jacob makes references to things which made me assume he was not happy there. For example, he didn't care for a lot of the people, and he struggled with the idea of dying.

3. The author's tone is very nonchalant and colloquial for the majority of the book. However, in the midst of that there was colorful syntax and diction that made the book more enjoyable to read. "I want her to melt into me, like butter on toast.. ", "I want to absorb her and walk around for the rest of my days with her encased in my skin." Gruen's lines also conveyed messages to the reader.. "Keeping up the appearance of having all your marbles is hard work, but important." Here, the author describes a simple topic, but uses a variety of tools to intrigue the reader.

4. Fiver literary excerpts:

1. Imagery: “Afterward, I curl around her. We lie in silence until darkness falls, and then, haltingly, she begins to talk...She speaks without need or even room for response, so I simply hold her and stroke her hair. She talks of the pain, grief, and horror of the past four years; of learning to cope with being the wife of a man so violent and unpredictable his touch made her skin crawl and of thinking, until quite recently, that she'd finally managed to do that. And then, finally, of how my appearance had forced her to realize she hadn't learned to cope at all.” 

2. Syntax/ Diction: “Life is the most spectacular show on earth ”

3. There was a sense of wanting comfort and belonging. Throughout the whole book this technique always kept me interested.. “Is where you're from the place you're leaving or where you have roots?”

4. Element of death.. it was depressing, but it is a universal theme that everyone can relate to. 

“Age is a terrible thief. Just when you're getting the hang of life, it knocks your legs out from under you and stoops your back. It makes you ache and muddies your head and silently spreads cancer throughout your spouse.”

5. The quote above also represents a very important tool, a metaphor. 

Extras... “Life goes on with fragile normalcy.” I really liked this quote because it shows the theme of this book so perfectly..; nothing is really normal for this old man in his 90's. Everything is fragile now, which has become his normalcy.