Now, where were we? Read me back the last line. 'Read me back the last line,' read back the corporal who could take shorthand. Not my last line, stupid! the colonel shouted. Somebody else's. 'Read me back the last line,' read back the corporal. That's my last line again! shrieked the colonel, turning purple with anger. Oh, no, sir, corrected the corporal. That's my last line. I read it to you just a moment ago. Don't you remember, sir? It was only a moment ago. Oh, my God! Read me back his last line, stupid.
In this humorous passage from Joseph Heller's "Catch-22," a colonel becomes increasingly frustrated when a corporal misinterprets his request. The colonel demands that the corporal read back a line, but the corporal keeps repeating his own last line, causing confusion. The situation escalates as the colonel's anger grows, highlighting the bureaucratic absurdity of military communication.
This exchange illustrates the chaotic nature of bureaucracy, where simple requests can lead to misunderstandings and heightened emotions. The corporal's inability to recognize the difference between his own words and the colonel's leads to comical tension, revealing the frustration often experienced in hierarchical systems. Heller uses this dialogue to expose the folly of rigid military protocols and the absurdity of communication breakdowns.
