Abstract: Catch-22 is a satirical novel by the contemporary American author Joseph Heller. Since its publication, the literature trend toward black humor became prevalent. The novel, set during the latter stage of World War II, relies heavily on humor to convey the insanity of war, presenting the horrible meaninglessness of armed conflicts through a kind of desperate absurdity. The paper explains the origin of black humor and absurdity, analyzes the absurdity art from characterization, language use and society involved in Catch-22 with the aim to bring some enlightenment to the comprehension of the novel and understanding of the essence of absurdity art.
Key Words: Catch-22; Black Humor; Absurdity; Yossarian
CONTENTS
Introduction 1
1. Black humor and Catch-22 1
1.1 Black Humor 2
1.2 Catch-22 2
2. The Absurdity in Characterization 4
2.1 The Central Figure--Yossarian 4
2.2 Some Other Enlisted Men 4
3. The Absurdity in Language 6
3.1 The Linguistic Feature of Catch-22 6
3.2 The Impotence of Language 8
4. The Absurdity in Society 8
4.1 Social Loss of Religious Faith 8
4.2 Social Remarkable Reliance on Rules ,Forms and Papers 9
5. Conclusion 10
Bibliography 12
