The group’s chaplain, Tappman is a shy man who loves his wife and family, loves God, and wonders what exactly he is to do in the military. Although he is initially bullied by men like Cathcart, Korn, and Captain Black, Tappman decides that they cannot shake his faith or his commitment to helping his fellow officers to fly their missions safely and return home. The chaplain ends the novel encouraging Yossarian to flee.
Chaplain Tappman Quotes in Catch-22
The Catch-22 quotes below are all either spoken by Chaplain Tappman or refer to Chaplain Tappman. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Chapter 20
Quotes
What displeased Corporal Whitcomb most about the chaplain, apart from the fact that the chaplain believed in God, was his lack of initiative and aggressiveness.
Related Characters:
Chaplain Tappman, Clevinger, Corporal Whitcomb
Related Symbols:
Catch-22
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 42
Quotes
Goodbye, Yossarian . . . and good luck. I’ll stay here and persevere, and we’ll meet again when the fighting stops.
Related Characters:
Chaplain Tappman (speaker), John “Yo-Yo” Yossarian
Related Symbols:
Catch-22
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Catch-22 LitChart as a printable PDF.
Chaplain Tappman Character Timeline in Catch-22
The timeline below shows where the character Chaplain Tappman appears in Catch-22. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1: The Texan
...up creatively blocking out large portions of the letters. He signs one letter “A. T. Tappman, Chaplain,” and signs his own name as “Washington Irving” or “Irving Washington.”
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A chaplain (Chaplain Tappman, as it turns out) arrives to speak with Yossarian, and to ask if...
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Chapter 9: Major Major Major Major
...on the Washington Irving plot. Major Major, however, escapes their detection. The CID men believe Tappman, whose name was forged by Yossarian on one document, might be the true culprit.
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Chapter 19: Colonel Cathcart
The chaplain replies that this will be difficult to accomplish; most prayers make reference to God in...
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Chapter 20: Corporal Whitcomb
As he leaves Cathcart, the chaplain is upset that he didn’t make a stronger case on Yossarian’s behalf. He runs into...
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Korn asks where the chaplain got his plum tomato and seems not to believe it came from Cathcart. He implies...
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Whitcomb feels that the chaplain lacks aggressiveness and “initiative.” Although Whitcomb is an atheist, he wants to expand the power...
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Whitcomb asks about the chaplain’s meeting with Cathcart, and becomes offended that the chaplain won’t give him many details, and...
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The chaplain tends to experience the world in three ways. First, he has feelings of déjà vu:...
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The chaplain wonders which of these three ways of seeing applies to the vision he had, a...
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Whitcomb tells the chaplain that he has been forging and censoring letters in the chaplain’s name, to “help” him...
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Chapter 24: Milo
The chaplain sees a naked man in the tree, while performing Snowden’s funeral service, and wonders who...
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Chapter 25: The Chaplain
The chaplain begins having a crisis of faith. He wonders whether God exists, and whether he is...
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The chaplain asks Yossarian whether he has ever had this feeling of déjà vu before, and what...
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The chaplain is devoted to his beautiful, kind wife, and to his children. He begins worrying that...
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The chaplain decides to advocate on behalf of Yossarian to Major Major, arguing that the soldiers should...
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The chaplain walks back through the woods and runs into Whitcomb, his assistant, who claims just to...
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Frustrated, the chaplain makes his way back to Major Major’s office and demands to see him. Sergeant Towser...
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Walking back out into the woods, the chaplain, exhausted at this point from physical exertion, runs into Flume, Chief White Halfoat’s former tent-mate,...
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...into Whitcomb again, who in the interim has been promoted to sergeant by Cathcart. The chaplain doesn’t understand how this is possible; Whitcomb informs him that he, Whitcomb, gained Cathcart’s support...
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Later on, the chaplain begins going to the officers’ club more. Dreedle sees this and remarks on it to...
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...get drunk at the club and, while making fun of Moodus, he notices that the chaplain is still present. He becomes angered that he is being “judged” by a member of...
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Chapter 34: Thanksgiving
During the hospital visit, Yossarian runs into the chaplain, who has faked an illness (Wisconsin shingles) in order to gain bed-rest. The chaplain, according...
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Chapter 36: The Cellar
The chaplain deeply grieves the death of Nately, with whom he had become friends. When the planes...
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At this moment, members of the CID find the chaplain and whisk him away to a secret location, urged on by Black and Whitcomb, who...
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The CID officers escorting the chaplain claim that, although they don’t know what the chaplain did, he must have done something...
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...asked to provide a handwriting sample, but the CID officers claim this sample isn’t the chaplain’s handwriting, even though he has written it in front of them. They argue that the...
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The chaplain denies all these charges as completely ridiculous. They claim that they want to “beat his...
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The chaplain runs into Korn outside the cellar, once he is released. He tells Korn he is...
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The chaplain finally gathers the courage to advocate on behalf of Yossarian, telling Korn that he will...
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Chapter 41: Snowden
The chaplain says he has spent a lot of time praying—he is trying to reclaim his faith....
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Yossarian tells the chaplain of the deal he made with Cathcart and Korn in the previous chapter. The chaplain...
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The chaplain also tells Yossarian that Hungry Joe has died—in his sleep, of constant nightmares. This means...
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The chaplain leaves. Yossarian wakes up in the middle of the night and hears a sinister man...
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Chapter 42: Yossarian
...desert and go to Sweden. This is where Yossarian resolves to go. He orders the chaplain and Danby to get his clothes and ready him for departure.
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The chaplain, who entered the room during Yossarian’s conversation with Black, is greatly excited for Yossarian’s escape....
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...Yossarian is making a courageous choice, and gives him some money for the journey. The chaplain wishes Yossarian a bon voyage and continues to plan, aloud, how he’ll punch Captain Black,...
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