JOSEPH HELLER'S CATCH-22
At a time when our veterans are deployed to fight in two wars lasting over 10 years for multiple tours of duty and are being irreparably physically and psychologically maimed, I felt it was appropriate to take a look at a satirical novel by American author Joseph Heller, Catch-22 that is frequently cited as one of the greatest literary works of the twentieth century.
The novel is set during World War II from 1942-1944 and mainly follows the life of Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. Army Air Force B-25 bombardier. It examines his experiences and those of the other airmen in the camp who attempt to maintain their sanity while fulfilling service requirements so that they may return home.
The title refers to a plot device that is repeatedly invoked in the story and has since entered the English language referring to a type of unsolvable logic puzzle sometimes called a double bind.
According to the novel, people who were crazy were not obligated to fly missions; but anyone who applied to stop flying was exhibiting a rational concern for their safety and was sane thereby not being eligible for release from duty.
The characters' escapades are often quite comical and the description Yossarian provides of them is a prime illustration of the insanity inherent in all military bureaucracies.
The book is filled with characters Yossarian sees as crazy, heartless, idealistic, innocent, cynical, ambitious and obtuse. He either fears them or is terrified for them. By the same token, mostly all of them see him as the unhinged one.
Some concentration is required to follow the novel's development but it's intentionally structured to reflect the circular and repetitive nature of a "catch-22" situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem or by a rule.
The story is a treasure trove of symbols, themes and motifs all used to signify the idiocy of military bureaucracy and its terrifying ability to cavalierly risk human life.
Heller uses Yossarian to illustrate the inherent insanity of war and its devastating consequences on the human psyche.
The idea for this book was based on Heller's personal experience in World War II. He flew sixty bombing missions and mentioned the he should have been killed three times over. He ultimately survived but the experience turned him into a tortured, funny, deeply peculiar human being.
Catch-22 became very popular among young people at the time and seemed to embody the feelings they had toward the Vietnam War.
There are many who feel that this comic fable that ends in horror has become more and more clearly a reflection of the all too serious and horrifying realities of the world in which we live and hope to survive.
