Snowden's Death in Catch-22 by Heller Essay

AP Question 3Snowdens death in Hellers Catch-22 allows Yossarian to understand the meaning of life and mortality. Through this repeated death scene, Heller illuminates the purpose of life in his novel through Yossarians existential change, focusing on character change and how war affects one. By structuring Snowdens death in a PTSD style, Heller reveals Yossarians mindset, allowing the reader to see what prompted his existentialist change and urged him to act, emphasizing that death is inevitable and should no longer be something one fears. When Yossarian first sees Snowden dying in the back of the aircraft, he is a character with flaws, selfish, hoping only to survive the war himself. However, Snowdens death exposes a secret to Yossarian that he had not yet understood in a war setting of violence, death, and chaos man was matter, and that was Snowdens secret. This self-discovery of human mortality forces Yossarian to change his views of the war, allowing him to see what he previously could not. He decides to take a leap of faith by running towards his responsibilities, even if that means defying authority and possibly risking his own life. One must make his own life meaningful, Heller emphasizes through Yosarrians existential transition, for man was garbage due to his common fate death. Snowdens death reveals Yossarians mindset, appearing multiple times throughout the novel with each scene revealing more of his transition and character growth. Snowdens death aids the reader in following along Yossarians moral development he remembers this scene at random times, as if it was PTSD. This illuminates Yossarians mindset, allowing the reader to analyze it in a setting surrounded by death. Yossarian would be exposed to a lot of death flying his missions and bombing the enemy however, this doesnt pull any emotional stringsnot until he sees Snowdens insides crawl out. Not until death has life attached to itSnowden shivering and moaning Im cold. Im colddoes Yossarian understand the tragedy and inevitability of...

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