This study will examine and compare the worlds described in Joseph Heller`s novel Catch-22 and the stories in Grace Paley's collection The Little Disturbances of Man. The study will consider the differences and similarities of the problems in both books, their views of society, the authors' outlooks, and other related issues, such as ethnicity, gender, etc.
The most obvious similarity in the two books is the abundant use of humor in the presentation of the problems and the outlooks of the authors. Both Heller and Paley see the absurdity in life. The first lines of both books establish this fact. In heller, we read: "It was love at first sight. The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain he fell madly in love with him" (Heller 7). Paley's first story begins: "I was popular in certain circles, says Aunt Rose. I wasn't no thinner then, only more stationary in the flesh" (Paley 9). After reading such light-hearted opening lines, the reader might expect books which emphasize humor over gravity. Although both authors use humor heavily throughout their works, however, they part company quickly with respect to their attitude toward life and their fundamental treatment of their material. Heller's book maintains its absurdity throughout---despite the fact that it is a thoroughly anti-war work, while Paley's book takes life much more seriously. In Heller's world, there is little but madness, although it is often a well-organized madness. In Paley's world, the characters are taken much more seriously, and the reader will quickly see that Paley seeks a more emotional impact and more involvement on the reader's part in the fate of the characters.
This does not mean Heller does not describe the emotions of his characters, but when he does the description is almost always couched in words and references which undermine emotion with humor:
"Neither do I," answered Yossarian, who was ready to pursue him through all the words in the world to w...