Major Danby

Major Danby is the group operations officer for Colonel Cathcart's bomb group, a nervous, well-meaning, and fundamentally decent man caught between his own moral instincts and his duty to obey his superiors. He is a tragic figure of institutional complicity, whose persistent anxiety and physical trembling reflect the impossible position of a humane person serving a corrupt and murderous command.

Identity and Background

Major Danby is a fidgeting, goggle-eyed man with a perpetually perspiring brow. He is a university professor by training, a man with a highly developed sense of right and wrong who nonetheless finds himself working for Colonel Cathcart and Colonel Korn. He is the group operations officer, responsible for conducting mission briefings and synchronizing watches, a task at which he is often flustered. His face is marked by startled wrinkles that remain like deep black scars from the day General Dreedle ordered him taken outside and shot. He is not a very aggressive person, as he himself admits, and this passivity is the foundation of his moral tragedy.

Life and Plot Trajectory

Major Danby's trajectory is one of escalating moral crisis. He conducts the preliminary briefing for the mission to Avignon, where he is interrupted by Yossarian's moaning and then nearly executed by General Dreedle for an inadvertent moan of his own. He is saved only by Colonel Moodus's intervention. He later conducts the briefing for the mission to bomb a tiny undefended village, where he tries to explain the military logic of creating a roadblock while Yossarian and Dunbar argue against the cruelty of the attack. He is caught between his own doubts and the orders of his superiors. After Yossarian is stabbed by Nately's whore, Major Danby visits him in the hospital to convey Colonel Korn's offer of a deal: Yossarian can go home a hero if he agrees to "like" Cathcart and Korn. Danby initially urges Yossarian to accept, but when Yossarian decides to run away to Sweden, Danby ultimately helps him, giving him money and urging him to hurry.

Key Actions and Objectives

Major Danby's primary objective is to do his duty and help win the war, but this objective is constantly undermined by the immoral actions of his superiors. He tries to conduct briefings with professional competence, but his efforts are repeatedly disrupted by the chaos of the command structure. He attempts to reason with Yossarian, arguing that accepting the deal is the only practical way to save himself, but he is ultimately unable to defend the deal's odiousness. His most significant action is his final one: after a long and agonizing debate, he chooses to help Yossarian escape, giving him money and urging him to run. This act of defiance is a break from his lifelong pattern of obedience.

Relationships and Conflict

Major Danby's central conflict is with himself, but it is embodied in his relationships with Colonel Cathcart, Colonel Korn, and Yossarian. He is terrified of Colonel Cathcart and Colonel Korn, and he obeys them out of duty and fear. He is also afraid of General Dreedle, who once ordered him shot. He is sympathetic to Yossarian, but he initially tries to persuade him to accept the corrupt deal. The chaplain, in a moment of exuberance, threatens to beat up Major Danby, but Danby ultimately sides with Yossarian and the chaplain against the system. His relationship with Yossarian is the catalyst for his final moral choice.

Change and Ending

Major Danby undergoes a significant, if subtle, change. He begins as a man who rationalizes his complicity by focusing on the "big picture" and telling himself that he is helping his country. He admits that he tries not to think about the fact that he is also helping Cathcart and Korn. However, when faced with Yossarian's decision to run, he undergoes a crisis of conscience. He first argues against it, calling it "escapist" and "negative," but then he suddenly reverses course, his face breaking into a strange, sad smile. He stops sweating and seems absolutely calm. He gives Yossarian money and urges him to go, saying, "It must be nice to be in Sweden now." This final act of rebellion, however small, represents a break from his lifelong pattern of passive obedience. He chooses to help a man escape rather than to uphold the system.

Narrative Role and Evaluation

Major Danby serves as a foil to both the cynical Colonel Korn and the desperate Yossarian. He represents the decent, intelligent, but ultimately weak-willed individual who is co-opted by a corrupt system. His persistent trembling and sweating are physical manifestations of his moral discomfort. He is a tragic figure because he knows what is right but lacks the courage to act on that knowledge until the very end. His final decision to help Yossarian is a small but significant act of redemption, suggesting that even within the most oppressive institutions, individual conscience can still assert itself. He is a round character in Forster's sense, capable of surprising the reader with his final act of defiance.