Masters of Satire

In Catch-22 Joseph Heller excels at satirizing war by presenting absurd situations that remark how illogical war may be. Heller's style shares many qualities with Stanley Kubrick's film Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, which satirizes the nuclear scare from the Cold War. Both of these works extend war to absurd situations that show a perspective of war on inhumane aspects of war that pass unseen. 

One of the striking similarities between these satires is the vast power that high rank officers acquire. The "purpose" of war is even set aside by these overpowered men's desires, exemplifying the irrationality in war. In Catch-22 Colonel Catchart obliges the American soldiers to fight indefinitely by constantly raising the number of missions needed for them to be dismissed. In Dr. Strangelove General Ripper unchains an irreversible nuclear attack on Soviet Russia because he believed they were polluting "precious bodily fluids". While Colonel Cathcart has his men fight and possibly die endlessly, Ripper gave the Russians reason to annihilate all human and animal life with the "doomsday machine". The excess of power that these officers have is not just abusive, but absurdly excessive, yet they accomplish their goals. The purpose of war, even though some may argue Kubrick and Heller imply there is none, is irrelevant to the war when leaders put their own interests before those of war. 

In both stories there is nothing humanity can do to prevent total devastation from happening. War has no exit in either situation because one way or another there will be massive destruction. Whether it is catch-22 that prevents Yossarian from leaving war, or the doomsday machine from the Soviets in Dr. Strangelove, everyone is on the brisk of failure or death. In Catch-22 Major Major told Yossarian there was nothing he could do to help him be dismissed so Yossarian is awaiting death even more. Similarly in Dr. Strangelove General Ripper said there was nothing anybody could do about the nuclear bombs he released and he was proved right. In these satires whatever absurd situation is present, it is bound to happen. The logic of catch-22 is fulfilled in both of these works as there are unavoidable constraints that all lead to a problem. These situations provide an insight in the illogicality of war by showing how war is the same trap for everybody, disregarding their side.

Kubrick's masterpiece and Heller's work are both enchanting satires that mock war by depicting it in a more comedic and exaggerated way. Ironically, their characters are completely serious and and sincere, but this is all to build up the satire. For many, war has been the inhumane inner and outer struggle depicted in both works. The satirization and exaggeration of these events is a conduct for the sense that war lacks and a corroboration of the mutually-assured destruction of war.