Love, Lust, Hatred: Is It All the Same in Catch-22? Camille Korbut 12th Grade

During war, men and woman are swept by emotions that make it difficult to overlook their experiences in war. Jack Croasdile, a prisoner of war, drew under his captivity in 1941 by the Germans a picture titled Anticipating 1942. Featured in the picture, he and his deceased wife are covered by a shadow with their heads rested on one another and their backs turned to the picture, the figures gazing down into the fireside. His illustration represents his own piece of heaven in a grotesque war where he feels the warmth and love of his sweetheart; like many other soldiers, he yearns for love in the war. In war, men and women are riddled with the fear of dying, of being alone, forgotten, and take solace in bedding with a stranger in order to release bottled-up emotions to reach a brief moment of peace. These individuals try to keep their minds sound with sex and some pretend or delude themselves to fall in love. The emotions felt during war can be narrowed down on to a spectrum: lust will be to the far left, love will be in the middle at equilibrium, and hatred will be to the far right. The love spectrum, as it will be referred to, defines love as a bond between a man and woman transcending sexual needs and emotional validation.

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