Captain John Yossarian, the protagonist of Catch-22, functions as an anti-hero. Unlike your typical classic hero, like Odysseus, Yossarian is the complete opposite. Yossarian is simply a man of common birth without privileges or divine qualities. His humorous displays of recklessness and impulsive pleasure-seeking reactions (certainly not involving the pleasure of serving one's country) contrast sharply with the qualities of a hero. During a heated dogfight, Dobbs begs Yossarian to help a fellow bomber, to which Yossarian displays great indifference and inattention, replying, "I'm the bomber, I'm fine." » (299) Yossarian clearly doesn't care about the current situation, as evidenced by his quick and sarcastic response. If he cared about the situation and the life of the other bomber in need of help, he would have immediately known who Dobbs was talking about and would have been able to provide rapid assistance. This shows that after many years of service, he did not care about his important combat duties. In another scene, the reader discovers that he “throws himself passionately on Lieutenant Scheisskopf's wife every week” (70) to take revenge. Scheisskopf's actions towards Clevinger. His inexcusable weekly meetings with his lieutenant's wife are a clear demonstration of how he prioritizes his goals: racist affairs first, defense of his country and his cause last. The lack of importance given to the tasks at hand and the indifference shown in the heat of battle embody Yossarian's character function as the anti-her; the only goal he has in mind is to focus on his own survival. (263 words)One of the roots of the conflict in this novel is the law of Catch-22. The latter... middle of paper ... they fight are made up of the initial wave of people deployed, or are just replacements, evident by the increase or decrease in combat performance. Another significant symbol is the spread of bombs, mentioned vaguely throughout the book on several occasions. After discussing proper bomb spacing, Colonel Korn informs the squad of Colonel Cathcart's intentions, which are "to come out of this mission with good, clear aerial photography." (328) Although the quote seems relatively friendly, the meaning behind it is quite sinister. Aerial photographs, in the context of history, refer to how the military's concern to acquire images of the damage caused by meticulously planned bombings was more important than accurate reporting of how the war actually unfolded. In a nutshell, this means that winning the war is less of a priority than spreading pro-war propaganda. (277 words)