Swift is reproaching the Irish for their indolence and pride. The people of Ireland are being reviled and scorned for their lack of action in order to mitigate the current circumstances (Hunting 89). Catch 22 and "A Modest Proposal- portray the insanity of the society's actions.
Joseph Heller does not only show the absurdity of war, but he also shows the insanity of human conditions and how the society has gone mad and "A Modest Proposal- depicts the horrific conditions of Ireland. Both Catch 22 and "A Modest Proposal- portray the greed of society. "Like such novelists as Theodore Dreiser, John Steinbeck, and Richard Wright, Heller dramatizes the crippling effects of modern society on the sensitive individual as in his portraits of Yossarian, Dunbar, the chaplain, Major Major, Clevinger, Nately, Snowden- (Merrill, 209) Through his presentation of outrageous characters, Heller reveals the perversions of the human character and of society gone mad. Dunbar's theory of life is that life is short. He wishes to extend it as much as possible. If time flies when one is having fun, then conversely, time must slow when one is bored. Dunbar endeavors to make his life as boring as possible, thus increasing the length of its passing (Heller 17). Through Dunbar, Heller shows the society's emphasis on life over meaning. Each character symbolizes a different attitude and reaction to the system in which he is trapped. Some characters are stereotypes rather than individuals. Milo, Cathcart, Peckem are examples of military bureaucracy. They do not see the men under their command as human beings, but as tools to further their careers. This is due to their greed for power. Milo uses his manipulative power to improve his syndicate and his personal wealth. The characters governed by the military are trapped in the corrupt system. Each character has a different way of coping with the horror. Flume retreats to the woods to hide from dangers he cannot cope with, while Hungry Joe's fears are magnified in horrible recurring nightmares.