Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
In spite of being published 50 years ago, Catch-22 is still regarded as a classic of American literature and one of the funniest books of all time. In recent years, Time, Newsweek, the Modern Library, and the London Observer have all included it on their lists of “great novels.”
This is the tale of the legendary, whiny bombardier, Yossarian, a hero who is enraged because thousands of people he has never met are trying to murder him. It takes place in Italy during World War II. However, his army, which continually raises the number of sorties the troops must fly to finish their duty, is his actual issue, not the adversary.
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
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Yossarian will be in violation of Catch-22, a hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule if he makes any attempt to excuse himself from the dangerous missions he has been assigned. A man is considered insane if he continues to fly risky combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be relieved of duty, he is proven sane and is therefore ineligible to be relieved.
A new introduction by Christopher Buckley, several critical essays and reviews by authors including Norman Mailer, Alfred Kazin, Anthony Burgess, and others, as well as unique documents and images from Joseph Heller’s personal archive are all included in this edition’s commemorative 50th anniversary. The ultimate edition of a piece of world literature is finally available.
Prior to Heller’s book, the “Catch-22” syndrome did exist, though perhaps not to the same extreme. To describe how it appeared and spread like a virus, Heller gave it a name and a story. Yossarian, a bombardier, tries to claim to be ill in order to avoid flying any more missions. Not sick enough is having “nearly jaundice.” To convince the doctor to forbid him from flying missions, he pretends to be insane. He’s not able to go bonkers enough. His declaration of madness actually causes him to run into a clear-cut explanation of the “Catch-22”: “Orr would be insane to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, yet if he was sane he had to fly them.
Milo Minderbinder, a friend of Yossarian’s, is one person who has capitalized on the circumstances of Catch-22 and taken use of the situation to his benefit. Milo is supposedly in charge of the mess hall. He has, however, utilized his mess hall position as a springboard to create a business empire. In the name of the “syndicate,” he has evolved into the ultimate profiteer, bringing the free enterprise to the military by purchasing items at a discount and selling them for a profit. He has also purchased items as part of intricate trades that result in even higher profits. Because everyone has a share, everyone benefits. Milo makes little effort to avoid conducting business with the syndicate’s shareholders, who include both allies and adversaries.
Without a doubt, the book “Catch-22” is significant and influential. The reality of war and being a pawn in a military game of chess are articulated by Heller. I’m not sure if the jumbled time sequence actually adds to the merciless satire’s effect, but it does offer a narrative counterpart to the circular thinking that serves as the foundation for the majority of the novel’s decisions. The novel has a lot of characters, but only a handful of them are distinct enough to speak with Catch-22 logic without sounding more like mouthpieces for Heller than like actual people.
