Catch 22

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Summary: There was always a catch, and that was catch-22
Review: This isn't the type of book who's rating tends mainly on opinion. But more on how you read and studied it. While as everyone says it's a war novel, it's a metaphor on corporate America. It is a difficult read, but if you study it it will prove worthwhile. Reading with someone who knows the book also helps. It does help you become well read because of it's being one of a kind. You learn from it, not every book's hero is the ultimate anti-hero. Not every book is a paradox upon it's self.

This could be read just for the humour. When you think about it though you wonder, why am I laughing, this is so dark. It's the way of writing only expert authors such as Heller can do that makes the book that way.

Who you are also is necessart for the book. You need to be well read to begin with to get the most from it. You need to be willing to take your time. You need to not care if there are 5 pages where the characters swear 24 times. You need to be able to deal with this book. You could be a 13 year old mature high-school student or a 30 (or 50) year old adult. You need the inner maturity and perserveriance to do this book what it disearves.

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Summary: Brilliant and Funny and Original! -- Don't Miss It!
Review: Yossarian's in love with the Chaplain. But that has nothing to do with anything, now does it? Joseph Heller's World War II satire is one of the funny, most intelligently written pieces of literature I've ever had the good fortune to come across. Supremely funny, Catch-22 makes a statement about war, about the nature of fighting, and makes it loud. Few authors have ever been able to hold my attention so completely as Joseph Heller has with this novel, through his comedy (re: the court martial), his characters (Major Major Major Major, for one), and his insane storyline. Yossarian easily makes it into my list of top 10 book characters of all time, with the rest of the cast not being too far down the line themselves. If you have a spare day, if you value good literature, if you haven't had a long, hard, exhausting laugh in a good while, pick this book up. That's an order! Also recommended: [e-mail] by Tom Grimes, The Losers Club by Richard Perez

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Summary: This book will never lose its power or poignancy
Review: Catch-22 is one of those books that everyone ought to read, because it is so effective at chronicling one of the strangest sides of the human condition. The book is hilarious throughout; the result of this is that it's much easier and more fun to read than most anti-war books, and the violence and horror are much more affecting. Absurdist and pointed at the same time, this book is much more potent than many other more serious war novels. Heller's writing style is not very literary, but it gives the book more of an urgency and a realism. Everyone should read this book.

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Summary: No equal
Review: This book has no equal. But what makes it really charged is that somehow, in today's society, with all that's going on in the world, the novel is even more powerful. This is the true definition of a classic--something that stands the test of time and actually has merit long after it was written. As if this weren't enough, throw in excellent writing, a stellar plot, and characters that are so real you'll swear they're in the same room as you, and you've got a hit. No, this book isn't "literary" like Steinbeck's EAST OF EDEN or McCrae's BARK OF THE DOGWOOD, but it is a great fun read with harrowing twists and turns. I highly recommend this tale to anyone with a pulse.

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Summary: Mindblowing.
Review: This book is nothing short of AWESOME ! It's cutting-edge. It's profound. It's hilarious. It's dangerously serious and seriously dangerous. It's earthshaking. It has no comparison. One in millions. An absolute Must-Read, if you know anything about books... It can be a life-changer and an experience worth going through. Do yourself a favour and read it. You'll never forget it. It will change your perception of insanity forever.

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Summary: HAH review
Review: Catch 22 captivated my attention from the very beginning. I'm not one to read books and enjoy them, but this one was different. It showed the stupidity of war and hateful situations with satire. Yossarian, the main character, leads us through his thoughts and actions, basically through a maze of situations unbeknownst to any but an unlucky sane soldier. There are times when you are so confused and enraged with what the way hierarchy decides things, you want to get inside their heads and figure out what they are thinking.

We are reminded through Yossarian and other characters, Hungry Joe especially, that what may seem to be nonsense could very well be sensible, and what is known to be good could be bad. Hungry Joe reacts the opposite way you would expect a person to, when things are horrible he is happy, and when things are fine, he is miserable.

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Summary: Catch-22 (A Way Out)
Review: Joseph Heller's Catch-22 has been seen as a controversial but classic twentieth century novel because of its rebellious nature and questioning of authority that easily places it into the social context of the American 1960s. Through the main character, Yossarian, and his various situations the author seems to comment on the individual use of morality as a counter to the governmental use of authority and power in a military bureaucracy. Yossarian, a soldier in World War II, and his squadron's fate are placed in the hands of a group of leaders who are willing to sacrifice their men's lives for personal gain in the form of recognition. Heller seems to use this situation to comment on the authoritative use of bureaucracy in that the men are led into futile situations by a bureaucracy that not only discards logic, but also has no regard for its defenders. Yossarian and his fellow soldiers must use the illogical laws of their war bureaucracy to their advantages in order to survive. They are all subject to the law of Catch-22.

Heller's Catch-22 ultimately defines situations in which all of the solutions of any given situation have negative results. The author uses Catch-22 throughout his novel to show how logic can be circumvented in order to force Yossarian and his squadron to suffer through numerous personal situations and remain at war in a sort of bureaucratic military entrapment. Catch-22 is used when Yossarian, as an instinct of preservation, tries to be discharged from the military-or at least tries to avoid combat-by claiming that he is insane. But by claiming that he is insane, he is therefore seen as sane because no reasonable person would want to fly bombing missions. Again, Catch-22 is used against Yossarian when he is offered the choice to be court-martialed or be released upon his approval of the policies of Colonels Cathcart and Korn. The Catch-22 is that the policies require the men to fly eighty missions before being sent home and thereby jeopardizes their lives.

Perhaps the most important point that Heller makes in Catch-22 is that there is an alternative to Catch-22. At the end of the novel, Yossarian discounts Catch-22 by opting for a different way out of war. He deserts his unit and goes to Sweden, a neutral country, and rejects the military bureaucracy. By this, Heller seems to say that while Catch-22-a contradictory condition of circular reasoning that holds its sufferer in its irrational environment and benefits only those who have made up the law-may seem inescapable; there is ultimately a way out. Heller depicted World War II with a sense of disenchantment with the military. This may be what made Catch-22 so controversial during the Vietnam War (and in the wake of what was considered The Good War). Yossarian not only questions authority, but he finds an ultimate solution through desertion. This is definitely not something that the government would have wanted young American draftsmen reading, however, it is valuable in its depiction of morality in the face of illogical or immoral situations such as war.

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Summary: Masterful Expose of Hypocrisy
Review: Don't read this book because it is a classic. Read it because it is damn good.

Catch-22 is the type of book that will make you laugh, make you cringe and make you think. This is a story that will enchant you with its characters, its humor, its descriptions and its truths.

Catch-22 is not a pacifist rant. The morality of fighting World War II isn't the issue here. It is about the abuses of power, politics and hypocrisy that occur within military organizations during war. Yossarian is a man who has already gone beyond the call of duty for his country, yet is forced beyond his breaking point by men who are more interested in wealth and power than in concluding the conflict.

In our lives and work, most of us observe people making decisions driven by personal ambitions and ego to the detriment of all around them. Catch-22 is a dark comedy of those traits when they play out in the most lethal business of all: the business of war.

Heller's writing style breaks many of the literati's proscribed rules. He makes heavy use of repetition, along with strings of adjectives and adverbs. Although the story spends a lot of time exploring the characters, it does little to develop its nonlinear plot. Nevertheless, I found the rhythm of his writing hypnotic and engaging. You'll find yourself turning the pages to learn more about the people of the story.

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Summary: Catch-22: The Masterpiece
Review: A novel that can make you laugh at one moment and make you cry at another is a true work of genius. Joseph Heller's novel, Catch-22, is renown for being one of the greatest satirical war novels of all time. Heller's novel possesses great depth. The book is obviously anti-war but it also attacks many other problems that lie within our society. Heller attacks bureaucracies, capitalistic corporations, and other organizations that use individuals to benefit themselves. Heller's novel is directed to anyone who is fed up with being used as a tool of success for another person. The book is directed to anyone who is against war. Catch-22 is also directed to anyone who wants a laugh. In his novel, Catch-22, Joseph Heller successfully portrays an anti-war masterpiece using humor, corruption, and hope.

In order for someone to fully understand Catch-22, he or she must understand the context of the novel. This novel was written in the 1950's. This was a time where many Americans viewed World War II as a heroic success. Those involved in the combat had differing views on the subject. Joseph Heller was a bombardier for the Air Force during World War II. Catch-22 is based largely on Heller's experiences in the war. Through his novel, Heller is expressing his detest for war. An element that one must take into account when reading Heller's novel is that he wrote Catch-22 using extreme satire. The reader must not take everything written seriously or he or she will not grasp the message Heller is trying to convey.

Heller's novel Catch-22 revolves primarily around the actions and feelings of the protagonist, Yossarian. Yossarian desperately wants to be grounded. He can't be grounded though because he asked to be. Since he asked to be grounded that proved that he was indeed sane. If a man was insane he would want to fly more missions, therefore he could be grounded. Even if a man were insane and decided to ask to be grounded he could not be since he asked to be grounded therefore proving that he is actually sane. The preceding passage describes Catch-22. "Doc Daneeka replied, 'Catch-22. Anyone who wants to get out of combat duty isn't really crazy" (55). Yossarian spends most of the novel faking illnesses and finding other ways to get out of flying. It is near the end of the novel when Yossarian takes a walk through the eternal city of Rome. Yossarian is in Nately's whore's apartment with all of the girls (prostitutes) missing except for one old lady. This lady explains another aspect of Catch-22. "Catch-22 says they have the right to do anything we can't stop them from doing" (417). The woman is referring to how the soldiers came and took all of the girls from the apartment. Once the woman says this to Yossarian he realizes that Catch-22 doesn't truly exist. It is an inexistent rule used to control people. After Yossarian realizes this he retreats to the city where he sees all of the horrors of the world. It is in Rome where he is arrested for being in the city without a pass. After he is arrested, Colonel Cathcart and Colonel Korn gave Yossarian a proposal. They will send him back to the States if he pretends to promote the war. "Be our pal. Say nice thing about us here and back in the States. Become one of the boys. Now, that isn't asking too much, is it?" (436). Yossarian accepts the proposal but breaks it. He cannot promote the war effort. Instead Yossarian decides to run away to Sweden. Yossarian runs because he can no longer be controlled and is ready to live a life of freedom.

There is no doubt to whether Heller successfully executed his goals in writing this novel. It is evident through his writing that Heller truly detested the war and everything about it. He successfully uses humor in discussing a controversial issue. Catch-22 suggests many problems within the United States Militia. One of these problems is the traumatic affect of combat on soldiers. This idea is present through Yossarian and Snowden. Snowden was a young bombardier who died in Yossarian's arms. In result, Yossarian is always having flashbacks to the moment of Snowden's death. Although Heller's novel covered many issues it didn't touch on many common themes within war novels. One idea that is not present in Heller's writing in patriotism. None of the men in the novel act like they are fighting for their country. They don't show pride in what they do. This can be expected though since it is an anti-war novel. Heller distinguishes himself from other anti- war novelists in the sense of style. Unlike others, Heller uses satire to express his feelings on war.

Although Heller's novel is entertaining and comical I don't entirely agree with his stance on issues regarding war. Through his writing Heller seems to find everything about war to be wrong. I personally feel that war is indeed wrong but is essential at crucial times. It seems as though Heller feels war is the worse thing on the face of the earth.

In his novel, Catch-22, Joseph Heller successfully displays his beliefs on war. He touches on ideas such as corruption, deception, and violence in his novel. Heller was one of the first people to write an anti-war novel and did so even though he was a former member of the Air Force. Heller uses satire magnificently to illuminate on certain idiotic aspects of war. Catch-22 is a masterpiece of literature and everyone owes it to themselves to read it.

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Summary: Tao Lin is right
Review: Tao Lin's review is on the money. Heller repeats himself over and over - sometimes entire paragraphs - and not as a stylistic choice but because he probably didn't know where the story was going. No beginning, no middle, and no ending, just a long slog through pages of exposition with no real purpose. The concept and title are catchy, but its all sizzle and no steak. Not recommended, despite its "classic" description in most circles.