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In this chapter, ranging through three episodes (the enlisted men's apartment, the "milk-run to Parma," and the hospital), Heller offers three pictures of insensitivity: Aarfy's insensitivity to Nately and his love, Aarfy's insensitivity to Yossarian at the time of his injury, and Dunbar's insensitivity in the game of pulling rank. Throughout, Nately and McWatt seem to be on the side of the angels, but note that Yossarian, who first falls into Aarfy's insensitivity by accident, is taking full part in Dunbar's game at the end. Thus the chapter again points up that Yossarian is a pivotal character and, in this case, gives him something like his just deserts. But the end result of experiencing terror and injury is not an increase in compassion, but a tendency toward callousness. Heller doesn't argue that this is true of necessity, but that is highly likely, a form of argument known in logic as a fortiori; thus the inclusion of a character whose name is a pun on this way of thinking, and whose place is taken by Yossarian. |
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This is a clue to the further process of the novel. It seems knowledge from the world (a posteriori) will not give answers to the novel's dilemma: not only are the perceptions of the world faulty, but, finally, all the world yields is "information"; and it seems that knowledge from first principles (a priori) is perhaps impossible and at least not in evidence: the chaplain has theological doubts, the Jehovan figure of Major — de Coverly seems now to be illusory, the ideals presented seem to be idiosyncrasies. But, the novel suggests, perhaps some of the dilemmas presented can be solved a fortiori – that is, on the basis of the best reasoning from the clearest sense of the nature of the situation. |
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Despite the vacillation in Yossarian's position which we have seen, he still has a better sense of reality than many people who confront him. We see this here in his sense that Nurse Duckett really needs people (as they all do) despite her facade. Nevertheless, Yossarian responds to that need in an exploitative manner. |
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His sexual assault on her is the occasion for the main story of this chapter, Yossarian's confrontation with the psychiatrist. As with most all of the comic episodes, this confrontation has a major thematic point. Along with the many jokes about Freudian psychology, the satire against psychiatry is carried on here by two main devices. First, there is the insistence of the psychiatrist on finding "the true reason" behind Yossarian's actions. That is, Sanderson can no more see reality than the chaplain can believe there really was a naked man in the tree. Both think there is a reality "behind" reality, and therefore neither can come to grips with the immediate reality of their lives. |
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