Ever since the early success of his novel Catch 22, Joseph Heller has been recognized as one of the top 20 American writers in history. The success of the book was supported by the social tone of the year of its publication: 1961. The aftermath of the Korean War, the mounting conflict of the Cold War, and the upcoming tension in Cuba and Vietnam all helped to propel interest in Heller's anti-war novel during its debut. Its continuing success can be partly credited to that same anti-war sentiment, but mostly to one of Heller's career's prevailing themes, alienation. Heller has created a number of characters whose largest purpose was to highlight and criticize several contradictions concurrent with the human condition. This theme of alienation drew in a number of Americans who have always felt that same level of disconnect from society. Historically, nothing is much more American than feelings of alienation...