And, you know, Danby, the thought occurs to me right now, for the first time, that maybe they’re right.” They think that they’re smart, and that the rest of us are dumb. In Catch-22, Heller pens a quote that is just as true and relevant now as ever, and it sums up perfectly what bothers me about the world and the many, many immoral and self-serving people in it: “What does upset me, though, is that they think I’m a sucker. While the book is largely devoid of anyone resembling a hero (with one exception), the officers and army leadership get the most withering portrayals, all acting solely out of self-interest and cowardice. The characters in the book all operate in a tangle of cross-purposes with any sincere, well-meaning intentions easily defeated by bureaucratic absurdities. As much as I have respect for this book, I’m not sure reading it could exactly be described as enjoyable. I didn’t realize until now how deeply cynical Catch-22 is. And as incisive as it is, it’s also, quite frankly, kind of depressing. Catch-22’s satire of these shortcomings and how they interplay with each other is relentless.

Plus the nature of war itself is also at issue.

Book DiscussionĬatch-22’s events are the result of the multitude of failures - failures of the bureacracy, failures of courage, failues of character, and the many Catch-22’s that crop up. While Yossarian comes off as playfully but determinedly trying to save his own skin in the beginning, as the book progresses, it’s clear that Heller’s comedic tone and playful dark humor are a diversion from the more serious issues the characters are facing. Yossarian is a man who does not really want to die for his country - is that really so crazy, asks Catch-22? There’s a jarring contrast in the tone of book, which is sort of absurdist and humorous, and the content of the book itself, which deals primarily with an army pilot who simply wants to survive the war.

It’s a story about bureaucratic absurdities and the paradoxes of war. It’s a war satire, and the term Catch-22 (used to describe no-win situations) was coined by Heller because of this book. If you’re not familiar with it, Catch-22 tells the story of Yossarian, an Army Air Force captain and the lead bombardier stationed on a small island near Italy during WWII. George Clooney as Scheisskopf in Catch-22 (Hulu, 2019) Plot Summary

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller