Dunbar comments how he feels like an old man' to which Clevinger furiously disagrees. Dunbar sums up the fears of all the soldiers when he says,.
Your inches away from death every time you go on a.
mission. How much older can you be at your age?'.
Clevinger unwillingly concedes to this statement and the truth that the soldiers must face the possibility of death every day is reflected in the desperation of the characters. Heller effectively deals with the horrors of war by concealing it within the pleasant disguise of humour. The soldier's desperation to be grounded, so that they may escape the horror, is ironically diminished with the introduction of Catch 22'. In Chapter 5 Yossarian makes a plea to Doc Daneeka to be taken off combat duty. He is told that he must be declared crazy to be grounded and yet, if he asks to be grounded then he is not considered genuinely crazy. .
There was only one catch and that was Catch 22, which.
specified that a concern for one's own safety in the face of.
dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind.
This catch, that is full of contradictions, makes it impossible for the soldiers to escape combat duty, and therefore they must go on facing the horrors of war. Heller's poignant catch is introduced through satire and irony at its ridiculous complexity, but its seriousness is demonstrated through out the novel as the soldiers desperately seek to make their way around Catch 22' and be grounded.
Another important aspect that Heller considers when dealing with the horrors of war is seen through his depiction of those in high authority. Characters such as Colonel Cathcart and General Dreedle are responsible for much of the soldiers anguish. In Chapter 19 we learn that Colonel Cathcart's insistence to raise the number of missions is purely for his own gain, as he suffers from an egotistical need to become a General,.
it required just some.