3.1.1 Colonel Cathcart’s Alienation in Catch-22 5
3.1.2 Francis Underwood’s Alienation in House of Cards 6
3.2 Alienation for Money 7
3.2.1 Milo Minderbinder’s Alienation in Catch-22 7
3.2.2 Remy Danton’s Alienation in House of Cards 8
3.3 Alienation for Military Force 8
3.3.1 Lieutenant Scheisskopf’s Alienation in Catch-22 9
3.3.2 Claire Underwood’s Alienation in House of Cards 9
4 A Comparative Analysis of Alienation of the Characters into Man-Insects 10
4.1 Alienation for Resisters 10
4.1.1 Yossarian’s Alienation in Catch-22 10
4.1.2 Peter Russo’s Alienation in House of Cards 12
4.2 Alienation for Victims 12
4.2.1 Major’s Alienation in Catch-22 12
4.2.2 Rachel Posner’s Alienation in House of Cards 13
4.3 Alienation for Wretches 13
4.3.1 Doctor Daneeka’s Alienation in Catch-22 13
4.3.2 Douglas Stamper’s Alienation in House of Cards 15
5 Conclusion 15
References 16
A Comparative Study on Catch-22 and House of Cards Based on the Political Ecological Ethics
1 Introduction
This thesis attempts to study the characters in Catch-22 and House of Cards from the perspective of alienation and compares them to study the American politics. Catch-22 was written by Joseph Heller who is an American satirical novelist, short story writer and playwright. He was born on May 1, 1923 in Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York and died in December 12, 1999 in East Hampton, New York. In 1961, he published Catch-22 which made him famous. This novel is regarded as a classic of black humor and has a great influence on the world literature of the 20th century.
Catch-22 was produced by Heller’s own experience in World War II. The difference between it and other anti-war novels (such as West of Remarque's No War ) is that Catch-22 is not just a critique of war and military bureaucracy, but a criticism of the absurdity of life itself. The novel tells the story of United States Air Force squadron during World War II. It describes the wartime experiences of Army Air Corps Captain John Yossarian. Yossarian devises multiple strategies to avoid combat missions, but the military bureaucracy is always able to find a way to make him stay. The characters’ thought and behavior are distorted by the absurd society. The novel has a strong satire on the war and the American bureaucracy.
House of Cards is an American political drama television series developed and produced by Beau Willimon. It is an adaptation of the BBC’s mini-series of the same name and is based on the novel by Michael Dobbs. It tells the story of operation rights in the White House in Washington, DC. The protagonist Francis Underwood, a ruthless member of Congress, is a wily professional politicians. He is convinced that newly elected president of the United States and his aides betrayed him, so he vows to oust the appointment of the president. The characters in the play are crazy, that is to say, they are also alienated. This play reveals the darkness of American politics which demonstrates that the ecological politics in Catch-22 can use for reference and also has enlightenment on American TV series. 政治生态伦理对《第二十二条军规》和《纸牌屋》的对比研究(2):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_48070.html