An Archetypal Alternative: the Im/Possible Heroic Journey of the Postmodern Antihero in Catch-22

Publish Year: 1396
نوع سند: مقاله کنفرانسی
زبان: English
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ELSCONF05_216

تاریخ نمایه سازی: 26 مرداد 1397

Abstract:

When Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 was published in 1961 in America, it soon turned into a cult and remained vastly influential in the counter-culture movements of the following decades. The antihero of the novel, Yossarian, was celebrated as an anti-war activist who embodied the values of these movements. Though his subversive resistance tofighting in the war was certainly glorified in the peace-seeking climate of the age, Yossarian can hardly stand up to the traditional heroic ideals of mythologies. On the surface, he is more a coward crazed by the absurdity of the postmodern world of the novel than an epic hero; yet the author has claimed that he has shaped his narrative based on the Iliad This study tries to dig deep into the novel to uncover its archetypal traits, examining the ways in which its antihero resonates with mythological heroes. Theories of myth criticism are used, especially Jung’s hero archetype and Joseph Campbell’s theories regarding the adventure of the hero. We show that Yossarian goes through the same steps and ordeals as the archetypal hero and matures from an inactive antihero into a responsible hero. Yet the difference is in the context in which he struggle. The grotesquely violent world of the novel with its up-side-down values and meaningless warfare, cannot afford heroism. That is why Heller’s postmodern parody of war challenges traditional heroic values and offers an alternative archetypal heroism that can be effective in the new unheroic world, as Yossarian’s heroism flourishes in the ending of the novel and moves beyond the world of fiction to affect the society

Authors

Anis Kalantari

M.A. Student of English Literature, Alzahra University

Mona Hoorvash

Assistant Professor of English Literature, Alzahra University