Response to minor character's role in Catch 22 by Jospeh Heller.

In Joseph Heller's war novel Catch-22, the main character Yossarian's feelings toward war are greatly shaped by the fate of another character who never appears in the flesh during the novel. In bits and pieces Heller reveals who the character Snowden is and how he affects Yossarian; Heller does this discreetly. Heller uses the character to strengthen one of the novel's overall themes: war dehumanizes men; during war those actually shedding blood are no longer …

…situation. Heller uses his characters to poke fun at the plight of soldiers, rather than displaying war in its serious nature. Snowden's character functions to affect Yossarian's feeling about his purpose in the war. Ultimately, his death is the only personal experience that John Yossarian has in the war. After his death the reader can understand what war really does to men and is left to question if the only loophole to catch-22 is death.