Luciana

Jamie Li

Chapter 16 : Luciana
Yossarian meets Luciana in
Rome
Luciana says she wont sleep
with him on their date
Yossarian sleeps and wakes
up to her yelling at him
They end up having sex twice
During second time,
Hungry Joe catches them

Chapter 16 : Luciana (contd)

They run before H.J. can get to them
Luciana gives Yossarian her contact info
He ends up ripping the paper she gave him
Regrets it later on
His search for the ripped pieces is futile
Goes to meet up with the maid with the lime
green panties

Attitude of Author towards Character

Throughout the book, women
are treated as sexual objects for
the men.
Most of the interactions with
women in this book are negative
Heller uses Luciana to
contribute satire to war by
playing the role of love and
relationships

Symbolic Value
Symbol of hope for Yossarian

Represents an escape for Yossarian away from

chaos of the war

Scar that she refuses to show = possibility of

healing from past pains.
Men desperate to find love/companionship
Will do anything for love

No concrete emotional feelings ; only physical

Stance on War
Tells Yossarian about a weekend in bed with
a deceased fiance in Italian Army
Scar from American air raid
Spent many nights in hospital in pain or
drugged

Commentary and Relevance

You won't marry me because I'm crazy, and you say I'm
crazy because I want to marry you?
Paradoxical claim for not marrying Yossarian
around Catch 22
American soldiers treat Italian women as objects
American girls - good for relationships
Italian women - good for sex
Soldiers care more for Italians than American Air
Force