Chaplain Tappman

Chaplain Tappman

Chaplain Captain Albert Taylor Tappman (A.T. Tappman) (usually simply referred to as "The Chaplain") is a fictional character in Joseph Heller's novel Catch-22. He was called Chaplain R(obert) O(liver) Shipman in the first edition.[1]

Contents

Character overview

He is a naïve Anabaptist minister from Kenosha, Wisconsin[citation needed], who is tormented throughout the novel by his atheist assistant, Corporal Whitcomb. While easily intimidated by the cruelty of others, the chaplain is a kind, gentle and sensitive man who worries constantly about his wife and children at home. He is the only character in the book Yossarian truly trusts, and interestingly the novel opens with:

It was love at first sight. The first time Yossarian saw the chaplain he fell madly in love with him.

He is timid and shy[citation needed], and only through his friendship with Yossarian does he feel comfortable. In particular he enjoys the company of Yossarian and his friends at the staff club, until he is thrown out by Colonel Cathcart after General Dreedle is embarrassed by him.[dubious ]

Also of note is that the Chaplain and Yossarian have the first characteristic Heller-like circular dialogue in the novel:

"You're a chaplain," he exclaimed ecstatically. "I didn't know you were a chaplain."
"Why, yes," the chaplain answered. "Didn't you know I was a chaplain?"
"Why, no. I didn't know you were a chaplain."

Name versions

In the original version of the book, Chaplain Tappman was called "Robert Oliver Shipman".[1] In the 1970 film version of the novel, the Chaplain identifies himself as "Chaplain Tappman"[citation needed], and is apparently embarrassed by the unfortunate rhyme. This may have been a gratuitous joke thrown in by the writer, Buck Henry, which was subsequently adopted by later editions of the book in the USA. British editions retain the name "R.O. Shipman".[2]

C.I.D. investigation

The C.I.D. investigators that have been dispatched to the squadron are convinced that the Chaplain has been intercepting Major Major Major Major's mail and signing documents Washington Irving or Irving Washington. Yossarian has been abusing his duty of censoring letters sent home by the enlisted men, and signing those names to the letters he vandalises, except once where he signs "I yearn for you tragically. A. T. Tappman, Chaplain, U.S. Army". (Note that Yossarian's duties involve censoring enlisted men's letters; the chaplain is an officer.) This vandalism brings the C.I.D. down to the base.

Later on, Major Major Major Major begins signing those names to official documents, after he discovers that when he does, he never sees them again. Before they would always return with more attached documents to deal with.

These suspected acts of protest result in the Chaplain being interrogated at length by the C.I.D. investigators in the final chapters of the book. They find him guilty of all his "crimes"; since they're his crimes, he must have committed them. They also find him guilty of all the charges against him that they haven't thought of yet. Then they release him. This is actually worse than being jailed, because he never knows when he will be grabbed again.

When Yossarian tells the Chaplain that someone came into his hospital room to torment him with the words "We've got your pal!", the Chaplain replies "Well, I'm your pal and they've certainly got me." At the end of the novel, all Yossarian's other friends are dead, or, like Doc Daneeka, reduced to bureaucratic zombies. Only the Chaplain remains, and he has definitely been got (although in the last paragraphs he announces his intent to "stay here and persevere").

Film

Chaplain Tappman was portrayed by Anthony Perkins in the 1970 film adaptation of the novel directed by Mike Nichols.[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ a b New York Times Review of the Closing Time
  2. ^ Heller, Joseph (1975). Catch 22. London: Corgi Books. p. 288. ISBN 0-552-09755-1. 

Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • List of Catch-22 characters — Captain Black redirects here. For the character from the either of the two Captain Scarlet TV series, see Captain Black (Captain Scarlet). Moodus redirects here. For the village in Connecticut, see Moodus (village). The following is a list of… …   Wikipedia

  • Major Major Major Major — For the band, see Major Major (band). Major Major Major Major is a fictional character in Joseph Heller s novel Catch 22. Fictional character biography He has the surname Major, and at birth his father gave him the first and middle names Major… …   Wikipedia

  • Catch-22 — For other uses, see Catch 22 (disambiguation). Catch 22   …   Wikipedia

  • List of characters in Catch-22 — The following is a list of characters in the novel Catch 22 by Joseph Heller.ignificant characters*John YossarianCaptain John Yossarian is a fictional character in Joseph Heller s novel Catch 22 and its sequel Closing Time . Yossarian is the… …   Wikipedia

  • C.I.D. Investigators — The C.I.D. Investigators are characters in Joseph Heller s classic novel Catch 22 .OverviewWhile the protagonist Yossarian is in the hospital during the opening of the novel, he is forced to censor letters written by enlisted men in the same… …   Wikipedia

  • Orr (Catch-22) — Orr is a fictional character in the classic novel Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. Orr is a bomber pilot in the squadron who is continually being shot down and having to crash land in the sea. Described as a warm hearted, simple minded gnome , Orr is… …   Wikipedia

  • Anabaptist — Anabaptists (Greek ανα (again, twice) + βαπτιζω (baptize), thus re baptizers [ [http://www.answers.com/topic/anabaptist Anabaptist] at answers.com] ) are Christians of the Radical Reformation. Various groups at various times have been called… …   Wikipedia

  • Anthony Perkins — Infobox actor name = Anthony Perkins imagesize = 150px caption = Perkins as Norman Bates in Psycho , 1960 birthdate = birth date|1932|4|4 birthplace = New York City, New York, United States deathdate = death date and age|1992|9|12|1932|4|4… …   Wikipedia

  • Milo Minderbinder — First Lieutenant Milo Minderbinder is a fictional character in Joseph Heller s most successful novel, Catch 22. As the mess officer of Yossarian s squadron, Minderbinder is a war profiteer during World War II, perhaps the best known of all… …   Wikipedia

  • Doc Daneeka — Also covered in this article are the minor characters Gus Wes, Dr Stubbs and Mrs Daneeka. Doc Daneeka is a fictional character in the novel Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. Doc Daneeka is the squadron physician and a friend of the novel s protagonist,… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”