Corporal Snark
Corporal Snark is Milo Minderbinder's mess sergeant, a man whose defining trait is a corrosive intellectual snobbery. He feels he is twenty years ahead of his time and does not enjoy "cooking down to the masses." His most notorious act is poisoning the entire squadron: he mashed hundreds of cakes of GI soap into the sweet potatoes, causing every man in the squadron to fall sick and forcing the cancellation of missions. When confronted, Snark admitted the deed with pride, explaining that laundry soap was the best way to prove his point. The men, however, ate the poisoned food by the plateful, unaware they had been poisoned, which only confirmed Snark's contemptuous view of the Philistine palate.
Role in the Mess Hall and Relationship with Milo
Snark is the only chef Milo has, and Milo hopes to move him to the administrative side to prevent further culinary experiments. Snark is described as an "intellectual snob" who regards his role as an art form and complains about having to "prostitute his talents." Milo, who is initially unaware of Snark's history, is horrified to learn of the soap incident and resolves to transfer him away from food preparation. Despite this, Snark continues to serve as the de facto mess sergeant, and Milo relies on him to carry out orders, such as when Milo instructs Snark to give Major -- de Coverley "eat" during the Glorious Loyalty Oath Crusade, thereby ending the crusade.
The Poisoning and Its Aftermath
The soap-poisoning incident is Snark's most significant contribution to the squadron's history. He mashes GI soap into the sweet potatoes to demonstrate that people cannot distinguish good food from bad. The entire squadron falls ill, and missions are canceled. When Yossarian asks Snark if he put laundry soap in the sweet potatoes again during the Bologna crisis, Snark admits he did, claiming it was the best way. Milo, desperate to find a scapegoat for the diarrhea epidemic that delayed the Bologna mission, sends Yossarian to interrogate Snark. Snark confesses, but Yossarian lies to Milo, reporting that Snark swore he had nothing to do with it. This lie allows Snark to continue his work without consequence.
The Theft of Morphine
Snark's influence extends beyond the mess hall. During the mission to Avignon, when Snowden is mortally wounded, Yossarian opens the first-aid kit to find that the twelve syrettes of morphine have been stolen. In their place is a note: "What's good for M & M Enterprises is good for the country. Milo Minderbinder." While the note is signed by Milo, the theft itself is carried out by Snark, who acts as Milo's agent in such matters. This theft directly contributes to Snowden's agonizing death, as Yossarian has no morphine to ease his pain. Snark's role in this crime underscores his complicity in the syndicate's ruthless prioritization of profit over human life.
Narrative Significance
Corporal Snark embodies the novel's critique of intellectual pretension and moral indifference. His belief that he is ahead of his time and his willingness to poison his comrades to prove a point mirror the larger absurdity of the military bureaucracy, where individual ambition and abstract principles override human welfare. His actions, from the soap poisoning to the theft of morphine, demonstrate how the syndicate's logic of profit and self-justification corrupts even the most mundane roles, turning a mess sergeant into an agent of harm.
