app for theposthumans
Character Name: Captain Yossarian (John Joseph Yossarian)
Canon source: Catch-22
Personality:
Yossarian, it can be said, has a very unique brand of logic. On the surface it's odd, unconnected and irrelevant, but he's very convinced of its truth and will stand firmly by it for as long as he can. For example, he has decided to live forever. That, or he'll die in the attempt. (It's worked well so far, hasn't it? Then, according to him, he's perfectly right.) It's because of this vow that he rather resents all the people that are trying to get him killed. (Which people? A friend asks. Anyone who's trying to kill me! Yossarian answers. But they're trying to kill all of us, a friend points out. What difference does it make? Yossarian wants to know.)
He goes to great lengths through the story to prevent his own death, not afraid to use his naturally high body temperature to get himself checked into the medical ward and stay out of combat that way. Threatened with a lethal-sounding upcoming mission, Yossarian first tried poisoning the whole squadron to get them grounded on account of an inexplicably wide-spread case of the runs, then tries sneaking into the commanding officer's tent to move the bomb line and make it look as though their side had already captured the city, and a bomb run would be unnecessary. When neither of those plots worked, and he and his flight crew were finally taking off to what he was certain would be their doom, he unplugged his headset, claimed it was broken, and had them turn back for faulty equipment. To say Yossarian is interested in staying alive would be a pretty considerable understatement - it's his entire motivation through the book.
But while he's not madly ensuring his own survival, Yossarian is a man of a good time, making friends with most of the men around him and fond of all of them - even the ones he dislikes. He's willing at any time of the day to trade apparently nonsensical exchanges with his like-minded friend Dunbar, or infuriate the straight-laced Clevinger, or be infuriated by his small, ugly, endearing roommate Orr. The only men it can be said he really hates are his superiors, the ones that keep sending him into the war and trying to get him killed. It's really unfortunate that so many people seem to fit into the category of "trying to get him killed".
Despite his easy manner and constant joking, half of which is probably serious, though he wouldn't know which half if you asked him, Yossarian does develop intense attachments. Not only does he quite literally fall in love with every woman he meets, but he dearly misses each of the men that he loses through the story, dwelling on each and remembering them all. Several of his friends disappear, several are killed, and one does the deed himself. Yossarian doesn't outwardly express his grief; the closest he comes is when he takes advantage of the lessons being taught every week on the base to ask, "Where are the Snowdens of yesteryear?" The rest of it he keeps to himself, simply because it won't do him any good to tell anyone about it. What can his commanding officers do except send him off to be killed again? His grief, paranoia, and depression do nothing but stack, and he understands perfectly well that everyone else's is too. He's not special, talking about it won't do anything except remind everyone that it exists, and the best he can do is let it strengthen his resolve against dying despite odds rising against him.
It can't be said that Yossarian is without a certain degree of nobility, though. When he finally wears away at his commanding officers long enough, they offer him a deal. He will be promoted, made into a wartime hero, and sent back home. All he has to do is like the two men offering the deal. He has to be their friend, do things with them, and tell everyone good things about them. Yossarian takes the deal - but only until he realizes how despicable it is. He hates these men, he hates what they stand for, and as much as he wants to go home, there are some compromises he just can't make for it.
History: Right here!
Strengths: By the end of his growth throughout the story, Yossarian is a man of fine moral character. He has finally recognized what is right and what is wrong, even in the ambiguous gray that the service and his situation casts on everything. He knows that while he could be allowed to go home, the other men would have to fly missions in place of him. He understands that it's unfair, and while he'd have his way, he would't have won. This is Yossarian's greatest strength, because in essence this is when he realizes that life is only worth living if you actually live it. It's only at the end of the book that he realizes that, though.
In terms of less ambiguous and more concrete strengths, Yossarian is noted to be strong and healthy. He's had combat training, and being in the service means that he's kept in good shape. He can hold his own in a fight, and his endurance is high enough that he can withstand multiple stab wounds and survive catching flak in the leg.
And as far as mental fortitude goes, Yossarian's pretty resilient there, as well. He sustains loss of friend after loss of friend, and takes them all in stride. It's war, in all it's unfortunate bleakness, and all there is to do is cope. Understanding this makes him emotionally hardy, even if it does wear on him.
Weaknesses: Remember how I mentioned that understanding the misfortune and bleakness of war makes him emotionally hardy, even if it wears on him? Well, it really does wear on him. Yossarian is, by no stretch of the imagination, a happy man. He's seen more than his share of loss, and each blow it deals him strikes just a little deeper. He's deathly afraid of being dead, exactly because he's no stranger to death. Yossarian is a coward, a wheedler, and a generally unpleasant man when push comes to shove, and he'll be just as unlikeable as he has to to keep himself alive. Other people's opinions of him are far less important than the end result - that being, of course, that he keeps on living.
As far as physical weaknesses go, while he's in shape and can hold his own, he's still just a normal human. Any matchups against anything but a human would definitely leave Yossarian with the weaker hand. He doesn't have any sort of cleverness or scheming on his side, either. He's really just your typical fragile human.
Canon source: Catch-22
Personality:
Yossarian, it can be said, has a very unique brand of logic. On the surface it's odd, unconnected and irrelevant, but he's very convinced of its truth and will stand firmly by it for as long as he can. For example, he has decided to live forever. That, or he'll die in the attempt. (It's worked well so far, hasn't it? Then, according to him, he's perfectly right.) It's because of this vow that he rather resents all the people that are trying to get him killed. (Which people? A friend asks. Anyone who's trying to kill me! Yossarian answers. But they're trying to kill all of us, a friend points out. What difference does it make? Yossarian wants to know.)
He goes to great lengths through the story to prevent his own death, not afraid to use his naturally high body temperature to get himself checked into the medical ward and stay out of combat that way. Threatened with a lethal-sounding upcoming mission, Yossarian first tried poisoning the whole squadron to get them grounded on account of an inexplicably wide-spread case of the runs, then tries sneaking into the commanding officer's tent to move the bomb line and make it look as though their side had already captured the city, and a bomb run would be unnecessary. When neither of those plots worked, and he and his flight crew were finally taking off to what he was certain would be their doom, he unplugged his headset, claimed it was broken, and had them turn back for faulty equipment. To say Yossarian is interested in staying alive would be a pretty considerable understatement - it's his entire motivation through the book.
But while he's not madly ensuring his own survival, Yossarian is a man of a good time, making friends with most of the men around him and fond of all of them - even the ones he dislikes. He's willing at any time of the day to trade apparently nonsensical exchanges with his like-minded friend Dunbar, or infuriate the straight-laced Clevinger, or be infuriated by his small, ugly, endearing roommate Orr. The only men it can be said he really hates are his superiors, the ones that keep sending him into the war and trying to get him killed. It's really unfortunate that so many people seem to fit into the category of "trying to get him killed".
Despite his easy manner and constant joking, half of which is probably serious, though he wouldn't know which half if you asked him, Yossarian does develop intense attachments. Not only does he quite literally fall in love with every woman he meets, but he dearly misses each of the men that he loses through the story, dwelling on each and remembering them all. Several of his friends disappear, several are killed, and one does the deed himself. Yossarian doesn't outwardly express his grief; the closest he comes is when he takes advantage of the lessons being taught every week on the base to ask, "Where are the Snowdens of yesteryear?" The rest of it he keeps to himself, simply because it won't do him any good to tell anyone about it. What can his commanding officers do except send him off to be killed again? His grief, paranoia, and depression do nothing but stack, and he understands perfectly well that everyone else's is too. He's not special, talking about it won't do anything except remind everyone that it exists, and the best he can do is let it strengthen his resolve against dying despite odds rising against him.
It can't be said that Yossarian is without a certain degree of nobility, though. When he finally wears away at his commanding officers long enough, they offer him a deal. He will be promoted, made into a wartime hero, and sent back home. All he has to do is like the two men offering the deal. He has to be their friend, do things with them, and tell everyone good things about them. Yossarian takes the deal - but only until he realizes how despicable it is. He hates these men, he hates what they stand for, and as much as he wants to go home, there are some compromises he just can't make for it.
History: Right here!
Strengths: By the end of his growth throughout the story, Yossarian is a man of fine moral character. He has finally recognized what is right and what is wrong, even in the ambiguous gray that the service and his situation casts on everything. He knows that while he could be allowed to go home, the other men would have to fly missions in place of him. He understands that it's unfair, and while he'd have his way, he would't have won. This is Yossarian's greatest strength, because in essence this is when he realizes that life is only worth living if you actually live it. It's only at the end of the book that he realizes that, though.
In terms of less ambiguous and more concrete strengths, Yossarian is noted to be strong and healthy. He's had combat training, and being in the service means that he's kept in good shape. He can hold his own in a fight, and his endurance is high enough that he can withstand multiple stab wounds and survive catching flak in the leg.
And as far as mental fortitude goes, Yossarian's pretty resilient there, as well. He sustains loss of friend after loss of friend, and takes them all in stride. It's war, in all it's unfortunate bleakness, and all there is to do is cope. Understanding this makes him emotionally hardy, even if it does wear on him.
Weaknesses: Remember how I mentioned that understanding the misfortune and bleakness of war makes him emotionally hardy, even if it wears on him? Well, it really does wear on him. Yossarian is, by no stretch of the imagination, a happy man. He's seen more than his share of loss, and each blow it deals him strikes just a little deeper. He's deathly afraid of being dead, exactly because he's no stranger to death. Yossarian is a coward, a wheedler, and a generally unpleasant man when push comes to shove, and he'll be just as unlikeable as he has to to keep himself alive. Other people's opinions of him are far less important than the end result - that being, of course, that he keeps on living.
As far as physical weaknesses go, while he's in shape and can hold his own, he's still just a normal human. Any matchups against anything but a human would definitely leave Yossarian with the weaker hand. He doesn't have any sort of cleverness or scheming on his side, either. He's really just your typical fragile human.