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the idea of "disappearing" people and the theme of the disappearance of the individual. |
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With chapter thirty-five, the satire is becoming more obvious, both in terms of the identification of the realms satirized (Milo's mentality and its effect on the number of missions) and in terms of the blatant abuse of sense being perpetrated on all sides. Thus, for example, the earlier slogan, "everyone has a share," is here advanced to the obvious mockery of "what's fair is fair" and to Milo's covering philosophy, "the historic right of free men to pay as much as they had to for the things they needed in order to survive." |
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How really trite all of the Milo/Cathcart business has become is pointed out by the puns imbedded in Milo's catalogue of business affairs—for example, the Cedars of Lebanon and the coals at Newcastle. And these puns point also to the idea that Milo has learned the artifacts of his culture without making that culture itself a part of him. It is also important to note who convinces whom in this dialogue. |
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One response to this nearly grotesque exaggeration of affairs would be laughter; the only way to cope is to have a sense of humor. And this response is not only recommended by common wisdom but also has been seen before as a somewhat effective means employed by the men of the squadron. This chapter rules out that response immediately. No sooner have we seen Milo's chicanery than do we see the result: raising the number of missions; and this time, the numbers aren't just abstract. Dobbs is killed, and "Nately, in the other plane, was killed too." |
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At the death of Nately, the chaplain instinctively prays. Usually for prayer to be instinctive would demean prayer, but for the chaplain, usually abstract, it is a real step in his getting in touch with himself. We notice, in this regard, that the chaplain is beginning to identify his fears. This ability to "name" one's fears is the opposite of despair, the quality we see in Yossarian as he lands. And in Yossarian's case we see this despair as a result of the ever-growing consciousness of mortality, seen in Yossarian's earlier sense of death and abetted here by Nately's death. |
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The chapter moves immediately to the interrogation of the chaplain. This interrogation is, except for Yossarian's security clearance later, the last of a series of trials and investigations throughout the novel, emphasizing how important the theme of law and "illegal legality" is in the novel. First, we see two apparently different personalities, one hard-nosed and the other conciliatory. But we see what comes of the conciliatory attitude as |
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