Abstract: As the excellent representative of black humorist, Heller is deeply influenced by existentialism.Catch-22, regarded as his representative work, discusses how people exist in an absurd and irrational world by describing Yossarian and other characters’ behavior when they face the absurdity and darkness of the society. This paper tries to analyze the living environment, repeated scenes, paradoxical and misty language and main characters’ choices to interpret existentialism in the novel based on the absurdity and free choice in Sartre’s existentialism.

Key words: black humor; existentialism; absurdity; free choice

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

1. Introduction -1

2. Existentialism-3

  2.1 The Origin and Development of Existentialism-3

  2.2 The Existentialism in the Work-4

3. Absurdity in Catch-22.-6

  3.1 Living Environment -6

  3.2 Repeated Utterances and Paradoxical Language -8

  3.3 Disorderly Arranging Events-11

4. Free Choice of the Characters in Catch-22-14

  4.1 Anti-hero Yossarian -15

  4.2 Milo: “Real hero” in Capitalist Society -17

5. Conclusion -19

References-21