Old Man in Rome - Definition

The Old Man in Rome, a character in Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, is an elderly man who runs a whore house in Rome, and is beloved by the girls that service soldiers from Yossarian's unit.

The old man's politics infuriate Nately, who believes whole-heartedly in loyalty and patriotism. The old man, however, believes whole-heartedly in whoever has power at the moment. He supported the Italians when they ran the country, the Germans when a puppet government was installed and after Italy was liberated he supported the Americans. Nately is incensed by the old man's lack of loyalty, but cannot refute the man's argument that he will outlast whoever is in power because of the way he changes loyalty so easily. The old man can be considered a model and a symbol for a successful politician, as his ideological stance is as easy to nail down as water. As such he can move with the times and exploit the situation for his good. His age, 107, can also be interpreted as how long (metaphorically) a politician's reign in office will be if he becomes as fluid as this.