Thoughts I cannot organize about Yossarian&Dunbar&Clevinger: A ramble
To think that the last conversation they've had is them calling each other crazy. And Yossarian apparently is feigning illness in the hospital at Chapter 1 precisely out of grief for Clevinger. I find this intriguing because (iirc correct me if I'm wrong) all the events that occur after Yossarian's Ch.1 hospital trip are presented in chronological order, with previous events inserted between them. So one may say that for all the events of the book that the reader witnesses in real time (?) Clevinger isn't alive during them. He's dead and lives only in Yossarian's memory, like Snowden, and maaaaybe Mudd.
These two hospital visits are directly described, even though on Heller's outline it says Yossarian's flown 35 times by the 2nd visit and in the book it's 38. But they are there. But as far as I can remember the motivations behind Yossarian's Ch.1 hospital visit (which is neither of these because Yossarian's flown 44 missions when he gets out) are never really mentioned. I just think it's interesting that Heller chooses to leave that out of the book and readers never get to know exactly how Yossarian feels when news of Clevinger's disappearance first reaches him, and what kind of meaning he himself has given to his choice to be in the hospital in Ch.1.
And, Dunbar is there with him. Why? Have they decided on it together? Out of similar reasons? If not then when exactly does Dunbar show up in the hospital? Also, has he talked with Clevinger after his argument with Yossarian? Their last conversation can't be their debate about what makes a long life, because Yossarian is in that scene--unless the two conversations/arguments take place on the same day in the same bar gathering. But even so, it is stated on the outline that it's not too long before Clevinger's disappearance, which I think is fucked up. I mean:
“You’re inches away from death every time you go on a mission. How much older can you be at your age? […] Zip! They go rocketing by so fast. How the hell else are you ever going to slow time down?” Dunbar was almost angry when he finished.
“Well, maybe it is true,” Clevinger conceded unwillingly in a subdued
tone. “Maybe a long life does have to be filled with many unpleasant conditions if it’s to seem long. But in that event, who wants one?”
And the man dies! On a mission, after he's said he wouldn't want a long life if it's filled with unpleasantries, too. I wonder if Dunbar remembers this exchange and if he ever looks back on it. He probably wouldn't see it as a sort of omen, or think that he killed Clevinger by telling him his life philosophy, but still I wonder if he recalls Clevinger's words from time to time, and what he thinks of this whole thing. Reasonably speculating on this is probably impossible, but I still wonder if it occurs to him when he hears that Clevinger's gone, be it hearing the news when staying at the hospital, or lying down in his tent knowing that the plane still hasn't returned. Does the fact that they're in different squadrons make him hear about it later than Yossarian? IDK because I haven't looked up how squadrons work. Anyway anyway yeah.
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