Huple
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Huple is a minor fictional character in the classic novel Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.
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[edit] Character introduction
Huple is a fifteen year old pilot who lied about his age to get into the Army, and shares a tent with Hungry Joe on the wrong side of the railway tracks.
[edit] Explanation of the character's name
"None known."
[edit] Biographical summary
[edit] Actions in "Catch-22"
Huple shares a tent with Hungry Joe, and though he is a light sleeper, is never woken by Hungry Joe’s nightmares. He acts defiant to Hungry Joe’s orders but he shows his age when he does as he is told.
“Listen, kid,” he [Hungry Joe] explained harshly to Huple … Huple thrust his jaw out defiantly to let Hungry Joe know he couldn’t be pushed around and then did exactly as he had been told.
When Dobbs goes crazy during the mission to Avignon and seizes the controls off Huple leading to Snowden’s death, it is Huple that shows sanity and wrestles the controls back off Dobbs.
Huple owns a cat that regularly sleeps on Hungry Joe's face while he himself is sleeping, suffocating him until the last moment when he wakes. Near end of the novel Hungry Joe suffocates to death when he fails to wake up.
[edit] Major themes
- Innocence
In contrast to Hungry Joe who is war veteran and lusts after women, Huple is young and naïve lad. He shows no fear to flying missions and is able to sleep easy through Hungry Joe’s nightmares. He could be considered crazy as he is not affected by the fear that brings about the nightmares of Hungry Joe and others in the squadron, that could be considered a rational response to the dangers they are exposed to.
