Major Major Major Major
at the tail end of the last post...there was some, what appeared to be randomness. i assure you - this is not the case. in fact, the string of text, in seemingly-random order is in fact, intensly complex. to delve slightly deeper into this complexity. i will explain -slightly- the last two phrases:
Crazy. Like major major major major.first off. an introduction to Joseph Heller's classic novel Catch-22. brilliant. crazy. brilliant twice. funny. satire. this book is one of my favorite top 5 books i would have to say. if you have not read it. read it. if you have read it. read it. get it. need it. when i say crazy. i mean like catch-22. not like it, but like whats in it. the thing thats there when you read it. not what is in it. but what there when you read it. its what is like it. and that my deer friend is crazy. and thats part of the catch. see the actual catch-22 (quoted from the book) goes something like this:
- There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.
- "That's some catch, that Catch-22," he [Yossarian] observed.
- "It's the best there is," Doc Daneeka agreed.
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch-22:
Much of Heller's prose in Catch-22 is circular and repetitive, exemplifying in its form the structure of a catch-22. Heller revels in the use of paradox. For example, The Texan turned out to be good-natured, generous and likeable. In three days no one could stand him, and The case against Clevinger was open and shut. The only thing missing was something to charge him with. This constantly undermines the reader's understanding of the milieu of the characters, and is key to understanding the book. An atmosphere of logical irrationality pervades the whole description of Yossarian's life in the armed forces, and indeed the entire book.and then theres major major major major, the person. yes. i was reading what wikipedia.org had to say about major major major major today. it had me laughing. its not intended to be funny. its just that its crazy. and maybe im crazy. but its funny. funny crazy. and the craziness is funny. ive decided to include parts of the craziness here "inblog" from wikipedia about major major major major.
yes yes yes i know that. i heart it. while whistling respectifully.Major Major Major Major is a character in Joseph Heller's classic novel Catch-22.
He has the surname Major, and at birth his father gave him the first and middle names Major and Major, despite informing the mother that he had named the boy 'Caleb' in accordance with her wishes. She only discovers Major Major Major's real first and middle names when his birth certificate is required for him to enter kindergarten, and the shock leads to her death. The novel explains this was a joke on his father's part, and notes that it is not a particularly funny one.
Inducted during World War II, he is promoted from Private to Major while still in boot camp, without attending the Officers Training Corps or any advance warning at all. This is caused by an IBM machine with a "sense of humor almost as keen as his father's". A recurring joke in the book is that he bears a striking resemblance to Henry Fonda, even to the point of some people thinking that he is in fact Henry Fonda.
During the novel, it is revealed that he can never be promoted nor demoted, because the army has only one Major Major Major Major and Ex-PFC Wintergreen does not intend to let this change.
Major Major was also promoted to squadron commander after his predecessor, Major Duluth, was killed in action. It is this event that causes Major Major to become a recluse: he stops eating meals at the mess hall, he avoids all his duties by forging false names to correspondence requiring his signature, and he enters his office by scooting along a ditch, then jumping through a window.
Upon discovering that forging false names (like Washington Irving and Irving Washington) to official correspondence would considerably decrease his workload, Major Major began to sign every document with those two names. This caused a duo of CID men (who were not working together, and were in fact trying to kill each other) to begin an investigation as to the identity of the forger. Because Yossarian once censored an enlisted man's letter and attached the group chaplain's name to it, the CID men believed that said chaplain was intercepting Major Major's correspondence and forging signatures onto them. This investigation eventually leads to the chaplain's arrest and trial.
His father, mentioned briefly in the novel, is one of the richest alfalfa farmers in his community. He receives a farm subsidy for every crop of alfalfa that he does not grow with his farmland and uses this money to buy more land to not grow alfalfa on. He believes that receiving money for not producing something is divinely ordained. Ironically, he preaches the proverb "You reap what you sow", and maintains that federal aid to anyone but farmers is "creeping socialism". He would leap out of bed at noon each day, to ensure that the chores were not being done.
