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mouse . . . is here a metaphor for this less obvious threat of bureaucracy as Doc Daneeka begins to feel like an "ailing rodent." |
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The opening passages of this chapter depict Yossarian calling the roll of the dead, and his catalogue of the dead, the foolish, and the deluded reads like Ecclesiastes: "vanity, all is vanity." It is appropriate that this series of recollections leads to the re-introduction of the theme of mortality: "Death was irreversible, he suspected . . ." |
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In the face of his growing awareness of mortality, Yossarian grows closer to the memory of the now absent Orr, an identification prepared for by the indirect lure of Orr seen earlier. But, into the midst of this closeness, there arrive the new "roomies," whose exuberance clashes directly with Yossarian's gloom. Nevertheless, the chief thing noted about these young men is "their practical, direct efficiency," a quality which, the reader may see, as Yossarian does not, directly relates them to Orr. Thus between Yossarian, the ''crotchety old foggy of twenty-eight," and these young roomies, "always in high spirits," there is a significant generation gap. |
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Note, too, that in the continuing effort to tie things up, we see in this brief chapter Doc Daneeka in the aftermath of his death, the reference to Yossarian's aversion to Black, and the continuing story of Chief White Halfoat. |
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As we get into this chapter, Yossarian both is in despair and having visions. The former picks up with Yossarian where we left off in the last episode relating the bombing of Ferrara, and the latter relates Yossarian even closer to the chaplain. This combination indicates a new stage in Yossarian's life, however painful, and shows that Yossarian is growing as a human being. |
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True to the novel's custom of counterpointing contrasts, this chapter turns next to the "middle-aged big shots" who are "utterly demoralized men of distinction." Of these men, the general is portrayed as a realist and a pragmatist. He is able to view the whole scene objectively, despite being involved. These qualities do set him apart from his compatriots; nevertheless, as positive as they are supposed to be, these same qualities do not stop him from exploiting human beings. In fact, his pragmatism and his brand of realism enable him to exploit, as we see when he delegates one of his "colleagues" to bring back their clothes. |
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Essentially, what happens in this episode is the first real, effectual reversal of the novel, as the "motley rescue party" from the squadron overcome |
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