The Solider In White

"The solider in white was encased from head to toe in plaster and gauze...sewn into the bandages over the insides of both elbows were zippered lips through which he was fed clear fluid from a clear jar. A silent zinc pipe rose from the cement of his groin and was coupled to a slim rubber hose that carried waste from his kidneys and dripped it efficiently into a clear, stoppered jar on the floor. when the jar on the floor was full, the jar feeding his elbow was empty, and the two were simply witched quickly so that stuff could drip back into him" (Heller, 10).

This quote early on in the story is an example of the sarcastic irony with which Heller so effectively incorporates into the text to satirize redundant practices such as this. This is a circle reuse of the jars, similar in thought to a circular trap of a Catch-22 that this book is all about. Early on, its obvious the book will be filled with hilarity in a subtle and drawn out form.