In Joseph Heller’s Catch-22, Cpt. John Yossarian faces turmoil within himself after witnessing a member aboard his crew, Snowden, die all over him. Faced with the possibility of sudden death, Yossarian protects himself by as many means as possible. Through his existential crisis, Yossarian develops morally, changing from keeping guarded security of his life to embracing his risk filled choices in order to enjoy his life.
Snowden’s death initially only changes his attitude to one of self preservation, but upon reflection, reveals that life is sacred because of the Mortality, and the experience. Early into the novel, readers can already see Yossarian’s aversion to combat: he poisons food to delay a mission and tampers with operational information. He had witnessed a gruesome death firsthand, and his first priority become to protect his own existence. However, by the time Snowden’s entire death is revealed, Yossarian is in the midst of an existential crisis; he had seen much of the eveil in Rome and know the world was full of more evil. Snowden spells out onto the floor of the plane that “man was mortal,” that from birth, the body is always ready and vulnerable to die. This initial realization sends Yossarian to protect his own mortality, made vulnerable by raised mission caps and an inability to stop flying.
Upon further review, Yossarian remarks that “the spirit gone, man is garbage.” After his revelation, Yossarian turns down the deal from his corrupt commanding officers that would have taken him off flight duty but subject the rest of his squadron to more probably missions. Yossarian follows his morals because he grasps that living is meaningless without values, or his “spirit.” Although Yossarian deserts, he accepted a personal court martial over compromising his values and friends. Snowden’s death pushes Yossarian to prioritize his values especially because life was so easily ended.
Snowden was Yossarian’s intimate brush with death that at first scared him, but later became the reason behind Yossarian’s ardent protection of his own values. Before the fleshed-out death scene, Yossarian had furiously defended his own life for fear of dying; only Nately’s refusal to leave without the woman he loved came close to putting one’s life on the line for values. Snowden’s death emphasized the importance of following one’s morals and beliefs above all else.
