Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Catch-22, by Joseph Heller, is the story of Yossarian, a World War 2 bombardier. Yossarian’s ultimate goal throughout the novel is to survive the war, and to be relieved of duty and sent home. His attempts to do so are thwarted by the bureaucratic rule Catch-22, which says that an insane man can be relieved of duty, but making a request to be relieved of duty proves that you are not insane, and you cannot be relieved of duty.

This book is written in the third person, and is shown from the points of view of Yossarian and some of the other characters in the book. I found that this was effective, as although most of the book is based on Yossarian, you still can feel and relate strongly to the other characters.

One of the major themes in this novel is the danger and absurdity of bureaucracy. One of the biggest problems facing Yossarian in this novel is the rule, called Catch-22, which stops his attempts at getting out of his missions. Bureaucracy also leads to many other problems in the book, such as when the C.I.D. man is trying to investigate the chaplain, but cannot, as all of his letters ordering people to do this are censored. Another theme in this novel is greed and selfishness. Yossarian puts his own life above everything else, and will try anything to get out of danger, even if this could put others in danger. Other characters, such as Colonal Cathcart, even put others lives at risk for their personal gain. He continually raises the number of missions the men must fly, hoping to be promoted to the rank of General. Another theme in this novel is insanity. Although some of Yossarian’s behaviors make him seem insane, and many others think that he is, his actions are reasonable considering what he has to go through on a daily basis.

Joseph Heller often uses onomatopoeia in the bombing scenes. An example of this is when they are bombing Bologna. “He could hear the hollow boom-boom-boom-boom of the flak pounding all around him in overlapping measures of four, the sharp piercing crack! of a single shell exploding suddenly very close by.” I think that these are useful, as they add excitement and suspense. Another rhetorical device Heller uses are similes, for example “The plane gyrated into a spin and fell the rest of the way to the ground, fluttering inside its vivid pyre like a shred of coloured tissue paper.” I think that these are also very effective, as they help you to form a vivid image of what is happening.

I enjoyed this book very much, and have only two criticisms. Initially, I found it difficult to keep track of the many characters, however this problem faded as I continued to read the book. As I learned more about the characters and their unique histories and personalities, this became less of a problem. I also found the non-chronological story confusing, but once I had learned some of the major events this was no longer a problem.

I thought Catch-22 was a great book, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a funny yet meaningful novel.