Would you like to see your country lose?' Major Major asked. 'We won't lose. We've got more men, more money and more material. There are ten million men in uniform who could replace me. Some people are getting killed and a lot more are making money and having fun. Let somebody else get killed.''But suppose everybody on our side felt that way.' 'Then I'd certainly be a damned fool to feel any other way. Wouldn't I?
In the exchange between Major Major and an unnamed individual, Major Major grapples with the concept of patriotism and personal sacrifice during wartime. He expresses a belief that the larger resources of their country—manpower, finances, and materials—make it unnecessary for him to worry about his own safety or the notion of losing the war. The attitude he conveys is one of detachment, suggesting that the war is an impersonal affair where many others can replace him, reflecting a certain cynicism about the human cost of conflict.
Moreover, Major Major's response to the possibility of widespread apathy among his compatriots highlights a troubling dynamic in warfare. He implies that if everyone adopted his perspective, it would render his stance foolish, yet he also reinforces his refusal to consider the implications of such indifference. This pessimistic outlook underscores a central theme of "Catch-22"—the absurdity of war and the moral dilemmas faced by individuals when caught in institutional conflict, where the value of life seems diminished against the backdrop of economic gain and camaraderie among survivors.
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All the things you can talk about in anyone's work are the things that are least important.
Race of Cain, ascend to heaven, And cast God down upon the earth!
