Thursday, April 8, 2010

How to (not) Grow Alfalfa

"His specialty was alfalfa, and he made a good thing out of not growing any. The government paid him well for not growing any. Thee government paid him well for every bushel of alfalfa he did not grow. The more alfalfa he did not grow, the more money the government gave him, and he spent every penny he didn't earn on new land to increase the amount of alfalfa he did not produce. Major Major's father worked without rest at not growing alfalfa. On long winter evenings he remained indoors and did not mend harness, and he sprang out of bed at the crack of noon every day just to make certain that the chores would not be done. He invested in land wisely and soon was not growing more alfalfa than any other man in the country" (Heller, 83).

Heller hilariously criticizes American Bureaucracy with his example of Major Major's father. This is another example of catch-22 in use, as it is illogic. Heller must be observing such actions of the government like paying farmers to grow less of a crop so the price will increase with lowered supply and make the crop worth growing for the high value. Obviously that does not make sense to not grow so they can grow, which is in line with how catch-22 works. Heller shows Major Major's father as an american who embraces the idea because authority used the catch to put their plans in action with obedience. Heller shows some of the redundant actions of bureaucracy while making it sound accepted as simple and logical, when really it is crazy and circularly illogic.

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