Thesis Proposal

Objectives
This thesis paper first provides the background information about Joseph Heller
and Catch-22 and then explains what black humor is; next analyzes the application of
black humor in this novel from four aspects. Firstly, the thesis focus on absurd
characters and events portrayed in the Catch-22 to expose every real aspect of
American bureaucracy society after World War II. different from that of the traditional
heroes in other novels. Those characters are primarily empty hulls existing in an
insane world and most of them are simply bizarre images of dehumanization. The
second part highlights the characteristics of anti-heroics and talks about how dark
humor leads to the establishment of the anti-traditional theme. The theme is unlike
other war novels as it peels all romantic pretenses off from combat, replacing visions
of honor and glory with a kind of nightmarish comedy of violence, madness and
bureaucracy. Besides, the structure of Catch-22 is another embodiment of black
humorous features. As far as the structure is concerned, Catch-22 appeared to be
formless and just like a chronological jumble filled with constant flashbacks and
abundance repetition. The third part is about how black humor helps break ordinary
structural restrictions and the chain of traditional morals by the technology of
formlessness to embody serious themes and represent the chaotic stage of war. The
fourth part discusses the characteristics of the black humorous language which
manifests the absurdity and irrationality of the world.
Significance
Joseph Heller is a writer representative of postmodern novels in the United States.
Enlisted in the army during World War II, Heller lived through the brutal situation and
realized the absurdity of existence in the midst of the diffuse war. Besides, Heller was
touched by the American post-war life in the 1950s. Therefore, Catch-22 is a dark
humor masterpiece with realistic color born in such a background.
Dark humor has been defined as “writing that juxtaposes morbid or ghastly
elements with comical ones that underscore the senselessness or futility of life”.
Viewed as a more complex combination of humor with resentment, gloom, anger and
despair, it models tragicomedy as it ventures away from what is simply comical into
the realm of the tragic. It usually depicts ludicrous characters and describes grim
situations in light-hearted language freely associated with pleasant settings. In this
way, dark humor not only helps to deal with serious issues in a less painful manner,
but also offers multiple perspectives to deal with a situation, making it even more
conducive to edification. By combining these two elements, the audience gains more
insight as they are exposed to a wide range of emotions.
As an indispensable literary trend which thrived in the United States in 1960s,
dark humor has its own unique qualities that specifically reflect the emerging anxiety
of the times. The 1960s generation was caught between two major wars. Their parents
would have experienced World War II and they were feeling the tension of the Cold
War. As a result, writers make use of freezing irony and burning satire to unleash the
hopeless indignation, nursing a grievance against their society which is full of
institutional absurdity. In their novels, the common core is directed against hypocrisy,
racial prejudice, war, terrorism, and the dehumanization of individuals by the modern
society. Different from creating traditional literature which trusts that goodness
always triumphs over evilness, writers deny the possibility of positive individual
action by choosing a humorous tone with desperation in order to reflect the objectivity
of life, the loss of faith and the deviation of humanity.
 Catch-22 is one of these most humorous novels that have great significance. The
idea of jokes being enjoyable and edifying would certainly be useful to Joseph Heller
who are trying to engage an audience with a rather harsh message. As the paper is
going to show that the cynicism is masked by a comic façade, making the message in
the novel more approachable to the reader. Therefore, people can cope with anxiety
by turning serious issues into something comical, laughing at the absurdities of war
while coming up with a profound understanding of the serious issue.
Literature Review
After the term of Catch-22 invented, it has become the symbol of oppression and
dictatorship in American society, its so all pervasive that people despise it and attempt
to eliminate it.(Chang&Zhang, 108). It also incites the sympathetic response among
American intellectuals who are suppressed and governed by the absolute power of
bureaucracy. Through the use of absurdities, Heller implies profound meanings as the
novel goes beyond the scope of war and satirize the oppression and corrosion of
bureaucracy on people. “The novel presents an utterly unsentimental vision of war,
stripping all romantic pretenses away from combat, replacing visions of glory and
honor with a kind of nightmarish comedy of violence, bureaucracy, and paradoxical
madness”(Miller&Phillip 2). James Nagel (1974) notes that the humor of Catch-22 is
not the gentle entertainment of comedy but the harsh derision and directed social
attack of satire, creating a unified front against a corrupt and ridiculous enemy.
Kirsten Staaby (2009) points out that absurdity, anxiety and labyrinth imagery make
up the dark humor Heller uses to convey his message. Matthew Mainuli (2013) argues
that Catch-22 transcends the war-novel genre and defies convention with its
illustration of absurd war, the mindless language choices and labyrinthine structure.
Chengxiao Xiao (2019) probes into different characteristics of dark humor presented
which elicit emotional responses against bureaucracy beyond belly laughs.
In commenting on the Catch-22 of Heller, David Seed (1989) said, "In
constructing the text of the Catch-22, we must be wary of forming a clean and
coherent thread of various events that does not correspond to the process of reading
the novel." Matthew Winston (1993) further believes that “Black humor novels show
us a sky of introspection and reparation, and from which let us get the pleasure of
constructing constellations.” Being acknowledged as a series of loosely related,
discursive stories in a disordered time sequence, Catch-22 has received such
evaluation from Richard Stern, “a brilliant painter who decides to throw all the ideas
in his sketchbooks onto one canvas, relying on their charm and shock to compensate
for their lack of design(Stern, 1961: 13) “Heller writes in a way which deliberately
confounds the notion of coherent time and seeks to thwart any attempt to impose a
chronological or cause-and-effect order on the events of the novel.”(Harris, 1971:48)

Methodologies
The method of combining macroscopic analysis with specific content research.
Systematic analysis by linking the development of the black humor literature and the
characteristics of Joseph Heller’s creation.
Methods of text analysis. Relating to his specific works, this paper analyzes and
expounds Joseph Heller’s creative thoughts and characteristics of educated youth
literature.
With the method of combining theory with practice and the current situation of the
modern and contemporary literate youth literature development, this paper illustrates
the similarities and differences between Catch-22 and other war-theme novels with
examples and comparisons.
 Contents
Chapter 1 Introduction.............................................................5

1.1 Joseph Heller and Catch-22......................................................5

1.2 Research Significance..............................................................5

1.3 Literature Review......................................................................7

1.4 Thesis Statement......................................................................8

Chapter 2 The Juxtaposition of Absurd Figures and Absurd

Events..........................................................................................9
2.1 Social Satire from Realistic Representation.............................8

2.1.1 The Absurdities in War................................................................9

2.1.2 The Immoral Capitalism...........................................................10

2.1.3 The Incompetence of Bureaucracy............................................11

2.2 Degradation of Traditional Heroic Images............................. 12

Chapter 3 The Dark Humorous Theme.................................14

3.1 The Subversion of Reality......................................................14

3.2 The Establishment of Anti-Traditional Theme........................15

Chapter 4 Confusion under Irregular Structure..................17

4.1 Fragmentary Narration............................................................17

4.2 The Chronological Arrangement of the Novel........................19

Chapter 5 The Chaos of the Real World through Witty Lan-

guage.........................................................................................21

Chapter 6 The Conclusion......................................................23

Reference..................................................................................25