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Chapter 36
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Catch-22, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Paradox and Impossibility
War and Bureaucracy
Communication and Miscommunication
Gallows Humor
Self-interest, Altruism, and Morality
Summary
Analysis
Peckem is not able to celebrate his victory for long, however. He learns that Scheisskopf has also been promoted to general. Scheisskopf is now in charge of Special Services—Peckem recently transferred to combat command.
Scheisskopf appears only to rise in the military hierarchy, perhaps because his would-be opponents are not threatened by him, and have no problem, therefore, supporting his advancement.
Themes
Peckem also learns, to his great dismay, that combat command has been placed under the control of Special Services. This means that, not only is Scheisskopf a general, he is Peckem’s commanding general. And Scheisskopf’s first order is that everyone, in all groups, march in weekly parades. Peckem is horrified.
