catch-22

__Catch-22__ Joseph Heller 464 pages Simon & Schuster $16.00

__Yossarian Lives!__

One of the most unique war novels of the 21st century is __Catch-22__, by Joseph Heller. The plot revolves around Yossarian, a bomber in World War II and his struggle to escape the war and the thousands of people who want to kill him. The main obstacle to his goal is the military regulation, Catch -22. This rule states: “There was only one catch and that was __Catch-22__, which specified that a concern for one’s safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to.”

The book differs from most war novels in three major ways. The first is that Yossarian does not want to fight for his country. The second is that the military bureaucracy is portrayed as corrupt. The third is that the book is very funny. To Yossarian, most of the people who are trying to kill him are his own commanders. The commander of his unit, Colonel Cathcart is very ambitious and keeps raising the number of missions that the men have to fly in hopes that central command will promote him. Several times in the book, Yossarian nearly finishes his quota of missions, only to have the commander raise them again. The plot of the book is very interesting, although it is sometimes confusing because the book rapidly jumps from one place to another and it is easy for the reader to get lost. __Catch-22__ is unlike many war novels, instead of showing a protagonist who bravely fights for his country, the protagonist of __Catch-22__ hides from the war and tries to save his skin. And yet, his point of view is supremely logical as seen in this quote: “Would you like to see our country lose?” Major Major asked. “We won’t lose. We’ve got more men, more money and more material. There are ten million men in uniform who could replace me. Some people are getting killed and a lot more are making money and having fun. Let somebody else get killed. “But suppose everybody on our side felt that way?” Then I’d certainly be a damned fool to feel any other way. Wouldn’t I?”

__Catch-22__ also differs from many war novels in that it doesn’t portray Yossarian’s country as something worth fighting for. The officers in the book are either bad leaders or trying to get promoted at the expense of the lives of the enlisted men. The military bureaucracy is also portrayed as corrupt. This is especially seen in the strange rule, __Catch-22__. This rule recurs throughout the book in different forms along with many other paradoxes. The longest lived one is the syndicate run by Milo Minderbinder, M&M enterprises. He somehow makes a profit by buying fresh eggs in Malta for seven cents apiece, then selling them to the air force mess halls for five cents. Through the book, he manages to build his small egg delivery business into a huge enterprise, even though every single deal he makes should lose money. The paradox theme reinforces the insanity of __Catch-22__, and the bureaucracy that created it. Catch-22 is a very funny book. Heller has a very sarcastic sense of humor, and many of the aforementioned paradoxes are funny. But his humor is balanced by Yossarian’s depressing qualities. Yossarian is a very gloomy character. He is sure that he will die in the war, and if he doesn’t die in the war, he will die some other way. He wants to avoid dying for as long as possible. That’s why he spends so much time trying to get away from combat. The book starts out very lighthearted and as you approach the middle of the book, the casualtie