On Leaders

"'Nothing we do in this large department of ours is really very important and there's never any rush. On the other hand, it is important that we let people know we do a great deal of it'" (330).

It is with these words that General Peckem describes to Colonel Scheisskopf his role in the military effort, suggesting Joseph Heller's view of the lunacy that exists within the military's leadership and defining one of the novel's major themes. Throughout Catch-22, Heller exposes the foolishness of the leaders by examining their concerns within the context of the war effort. In such a context, one is able to see the utter absurdity found within their concerns for extraneous activities, rather than the urgency of the war. Consequently, one sees the military leaders as anything but military leaders, as Heller primarily satirizes these leaders in the characters of Lieutenant Scheisskopf and General Peckem.

Focusing on these two officers, Heller begins his attack on the military's leaders with the rapid rise of Lieutenant Scheisskopf in the ranks of the military. As the representation of the elevation of an incapable leader, Scheisskopf is concerned only with military parades, rather than military operations concerning combat. Although he possesses dedication and determination, he channels his energies in the wrong direction, his parades, with efforts that are "elaborate and clandestine" (83). He conducts "extensive research" (82) regarding methods of garnering "every means of improvement" (82). Scheisskopf's determination is so intense that he is consumed with being the best, and as a consequence, his personal life even falls by the wayside. In response to his wife's repeated attempts at gaining his attention, he responds, "'I haven't the time. Don't you know there is a parade going on?'" (80). Heller's satire is revealed here, as one would expect a military officer to respond quite differently, perhaps with, "Don't you know there is a war going on?" Instead Scheisskopf places the parades as his most important priority.

With this singular priority in mind, and as a result of his work, Scheisskopf finally achieves his goal of being the best. He is subsequently promoted to First Lieutenant, suggesting that in Heller's upside-down world, a man is elevated not for his tactical prowess, but for his ability to organize the best parades. He is declared a "military genius" (84), again suggesting Heller's satire. When Scheisskopf is promoted to Colonel, General Peckem compliments him on being a "'tough, experienced, competent officer'" (330) who is not like the "'incompetent leadership with which we supply our troops'" (330). The irony depicted here is that Scheisskopf is exactly the kind of incompetent leader that General Peckem is trying to avoid. Quickly, one learns of Scheisskopf's new duties, which consist of helping General Peckem "'produce the memoranda upon which we rely so heavily to let people know how good we are and how much work we're turning out'" (330). When set against Peckem's lofty description of Scheisskopf's capabilities, this menial task represents the utter absurdity and illogic that exists within Heller's satiric view of the military. This absurdity is further developed when one learns that Scheisskopf is promoted for a skill he does not even posses, the ability to write well. He himself reveals, "'I don't know anything about writing'" (330).

Knowing nothing about writing and only about parades does not stop his meteoric rise, as he is again promoted, this time above General Peckem. When the news is revealed that Colonel Scheisskopf has been promoted to Lieutenant General, it is so shocking that it causes General Peckem to swear "for perhaps the first time in his life" (401). With this promotion, Scheisskopf also becomes the new commanding officer for combat operations and he wastes little time in issuing his first order. Colonel Cargill delivers this first order, turning "white as a sheet" (402) as he states, "'He wants us to march. He wants everybody to march!'" (402). With this order, Heller further plunges the military into his satiric commentary, as now everyone is subjected to marching by a commanding officer whose only concern is marching and who cowers at the thought of entering combat himself. While still a colonel, Scheisskopf asks, "in horror" (332), "'We're not going into combat are we?'" (332), further reinforcing Heller's view of military leaders.

Heller's view of military leaders continues when he shifts his focus to General Peckem. Whereas Sheisskopf's character suggests the elevation of seemingly incapable leaders to important positions, Peckem's character suggests the undermining of military operations for personal gratification. In General Peckem, one sees an established leader whose priorities are not with the total war effort, but to battle another general, General Dreedle, who is on the same side of the effort. Peckem states "'Dreedle's on our side, and Dreedle is the enemy'" (332). This type of in-fighting seems logically counter-productive, but to General Peckem, it is quite productive, as

General Dreedle commands four bomb groups that we simply must capture in order to continue our offensive. Conquering General Dreedle will give us the aircraft and vital bases we need to carry our operations into other areas (332).

When one considers that both General Peckem and General Dreedle are on the same side of the war effort fighting for the same country, General Peckem's motives appear self-serving. General Peckem's motives are another attack by Heller on the logic employed by the leaders.

With General Peckem's self -serving attitude, Heller's satire is again illustrated in Colonel Korn's rebuke of Major Danby during a briefing. Instead of Major Danby's "'much more effective roadblock'" (338) using a "'loose bomb pattern'" (338), Colonel Korn states, "'We don't care about the roadblock'" (338). What they do care about is the bomb pattern dictated by General Peckem. Colonel Korn explains,

And make sure they understand the importance of a tight bomb pattern. Colonel Cathcart wants to come out of this mission with a good clean aerial photograph he won't be ashamed to send through the channels (338).

Colonel Cathcart's desire for this bomb pattern extends from General Peckem's desire for "'the bombs to explode close together and make a neat aerial photograph'" (335). This logic is revisited in the novel when Milo Minderbender is discussing his mission count with Colonel Cathcart. Concerning a particular mission, Colonel Cathcart states, "'We didn't get the bridge, but we did have a beautiful bomb pattern'" (382). With the acceptance by other officers of General Peckem's directives, Heller suggests the ubiquitous nature of this lunacy in the military, as it is not just located within the mind of General Peckem.

Through the development of Lieutenant Scheisskopf and General Peckem, Joseph Heller crafts a sharply caustic attack on the leadership within the military. By examining both of these character's concerns and priorities against the backdrop of the war effort, Heller develops two fools and by extending this viewpoint to the whole of military leadership, he paints a rather grim image of the military and its leaders.

Read the complete text of this post