Milo in Catch 22 Essay

The satiric novel, Catch 22, at some times is outright hilarious, invoking laughter that requires thought. The issues throughout the book begin with frivolity and light-heartedness, but slowly become more and more serious as the novel progresses. One important character, Milo Minderbinder, invokes thoughtful laughter, but at the same time represents much deeper issues within society.

Milo is introduced as a down to earth mess hall officer who concocts new recipes. He immediately provides laughter and amusement to the reader with his seemingly absurd operation that he started. He became the leader of his own syndicate, where every man involved had a share of the profits he makes by buying, selling, and trading goods from around the world. Milo is an opportunist in business and also a great example of capitalism. Milo, like many other characters, is equipped with a witty and quirky personality, and his conversations with some of the other men from the squadron often lead to humorous situations in the book. The thoughtful laughter that Heller uses is a way to get a reaction from the reader. Heller also provides the reader with a stimulus to get a reaction to the desires that some men have for money, and the dangers that they are willing to face in order to obtain wealth.

On the surface, Milos enterprise and his syndicate seem harmless and even logical, and his ability to make money from such a ridicules idea as war is extremely intelligent. His plans for the syndicate become more evil however, and he even goes as far as bombing his own men. The thoughtful laughter is at this point in the novel gone, leaving behind some of the deeper issues in the book. Milo and his whole idea of a syndicate lead one to think about the consequences of war and turning on ones own people. Does Milo go to far? What purpose could be so important as to endanger his own men? On the surface, the laughter content is funny, but underneath, it causes one to consider the true brutalities and self-centeredness involved with war.

Milo is only one example of the laughter-invoking qualities of Catch 22. Laughter is invoked in the reader whether it is because of the characters or of thought as a consequence of laughter. If those outer layers are looked past, however, the book attacks deeper issues involving society and the atrocities of war and death.