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Metaphor for Insanity
"Little Yo-Yo wants --" "-- to play." a drunken Halfoat is the first to use Yossarian's nickname in the chapter 12 of the novel, but it'll be seen again in chapter 32 and beyond.
Throughout the novel, Yossarian bounces between sanity and insanity. The comparison with a concrete object like a yo-yo helps us to conceptualize his unstable mental state.
Heller reinforces this imagery of chaotic spinning by describing the shadows cast by the light bulb during Hungry Joe's first encounter with Huple's cat.
Alliteration of Antonyms
Colonel Cathcart, who is responsible for repeated extensions of the number of missions that must be flown, is described in chapter 19 using alliteration of antonyms.
"Colonel Cathcart was a slick, successful, slipshod unhappy man ..." Heller writes. He introduces an oxymoron; Cathcart is "slick" (deft, clever) yet "slipshod" (careless.)
Also, "He was dashing (in high spirits) and dejected (depressed) ..." Heller says.
These examples of oxymoron are tied together with alliteration. Through this unique combination of stylistic techniques, Heller communicates that these two contradictory states are not incompatible in the insane world of the military.
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