Catch-22 Essay -- Essays Papers

Milo Minderbinder In the novel, "Catch-22", many characters are described based on the perception of Yossarian, the main character. Yossarian is a flight bombardier in World War II and the novel focuses on his interactions and conflicts with the men and officers in his squadron, the medical staff, and the whores in Rome. One of the men in the Twenty-Seventh Air Force squadron is Milo Minderbinder. Milo is an intelligent, but heartless, businessman that symbolizes the corporate business ethic. The first time Milo meets Yossarian, he tries to make a deal with him. Milo wanted to make Yossarian his business partner when he found out that Yossarian is entitled to all the fruit he desires. Yossarian refused to take part in Milo's business, but Milo still respected Yossarian. Milo eventually got Yossarian to give him a package of pitted dates for a quarter of a bedsheet. When Milo found out that some of Yossarian's friends sell some of the fruit on the black market, he became influenced. Like a businessman, he knows an opportunity when he sees it. This was the origin of M & M Enterprises. Like most corporations, M & M Enterprises had some competition. Ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen was selling lighters cheaper than Milo on the black market. Milo became threatened by Wintergreen, so by the end of the novel, Milo eventually merged with Wintergreen. Also, by the end of the novel, Milo makes partnerships with Colonel Cathcart and Colonel Korn. Milo shows an aspect of the corporate business ethic by merging with an enemy competitor in order to make more money. As "Catch-22" progresses, Milo's popularity spreads throughout the officers in the squadron. By the end of the book, all of the officers turned their mess halls over to Milo. Milo would make individual deals with the officers to bring them different types of food in exchange for a pilot and a plane. Even Major---de Coverley gave Milo permission to take a pilot and plane weekly to Malta and Sicily for eggs and butter. Soon enough, other countries rushed to do business with Milo. Like some major corporations, M & M Enterprises started from scratch and grew into a nationwide business. When a business is accused of being responsible for some type of crime, they will usually put the blame on someone or something else. Milo would always reply to an accusation by saying that what he did ... ...Colonel Cathcart in order to fly more missions. Money and power caught up with Milo when he decided to make a deal with Colonel Cathcart instead. Milo would continue his business, while Nately and Yossarian were assigned to fly Milo's missions. In Chapter thirty-nine, Milo offered to help Yossarian look for Nately's whore's kid sister. When they went to the police station, one of the officers told Milo that illegal tobacco is being sold for a huge profit. Once again, money and power caught up with Milo, so he left Yossarian in order to obtain some illegal tobacco for the syndicate. One moral that Milo shares with a corporate business ethic is money comes before anything else. Milo showed aspects of the corporate business ethic by being cold-hearted and intelligent. As M & M Enterprises grew, he became wealthier and more evil. The more money Milo made, the more money he wanted to make. Every decision Milo made was one that benefited him the most. By helping himself and others along the way, he gained more and more economic and political power. He claimed that everyone owns a share in the syndicate. This may be true, but Milo is the only one benefiting from it.