Alienation In Joseph Heller’s Catch-22

Alienation—a long-existing phenomenon of human existence—has never gonebeyond the sight and keen perception of literary writers. As a writer known for his blackhumor Joseph Heller always shows his concern for the absurd nature of the world andhuman’s predicament of alienation in his works. Catch-22is Heller’s first and alsobest-known novel. Heller expresses the same concern in this novel. Ostensibly a “warnovel”, Catch-22gives no detailed description of the war. Heller shows the readers thepost-war American society by setting Pianosa as the stage. The postwar period is knownfor the “cold war” and “McCarthyism”, which is a decade of considerable repression andinsecurity. Postwar Americans have experienced profound pain of alienation. Joseph Hellerdraws the picture of prevailing alienation of American society in his Catch-22.This thesis tries to investigate the theme of alienation focusing on Joseph Heller’sCatch-22. The author holds that characters in the novel feel alienated in every aspects oftheir existence—socially, interpersonally and spiritually. The dehumanizing social system(the powerful bureaucracy and capitalism) deprives of people’s freedom, dignity and lives.The relationship between man and his fellowman is also not harmonious. People are distantfrom each other and they always show their hatred and indifference. Men and women losetheir ability to love, for love is replaced by money and lust. Going through the pain ofalienation in reality men can no longer maintain their faith in God. The retreat of Godplunges men into the dark depths of despair. Through the analysis of alienation reflected inCatch-22this thesis comes to the conclusion that characters in the novel are in alienatedstate. By depicting the characters’ dilemma of alienation Heller displays the predicament ofcontemporary Americans in an absurd society and shows his humanistic concern.