Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

Catch 22 is most definitely a book without parallel. Set at the closing of World War II, this novel focuses on the plight of a deranged bombardier named Yossarian, who thinks that everyone he meets wants to kill him. He is perceived as crazy by his peers and his generals in the military, but as the novel unfolds, the reader begins to understand Yossarian’s point of view. Yossarian feels that his life is in danger, and he is right, because he is in the middle of a war, constantly flying air missions. What he doesn’t understand is that everyone else is under the same amount of danger as he is, and this mental disconnect is what makes Yossarian seem crazy to those around him.

Even with the issue of insanity aside, Catch 22, has a very emotionally challenging storyline, with graphic descriptions of death and horror from the war. Catch 22 is certainly a book that takes a while to really get into. It may take the reader a few tries to finally read it all the way through. What makes it worth the uncomfortable images and the tedious parts are the completely unexpected bits of humor that are stuck into the book. This comic relief usually comes when Yossarian is describing someone. “The Texan turned out to be good-natured, generous and likeable. In three days no one could stand him” Author Joseph Heller uses these unexpected reactions and one-liners to capture and hold the audience’s attention.

The main purpose of Catch 22 is to provide a satirical look at how people view society and life. Heller also presents the disarming concept that we could have everything wrong, and the main character, Yossarian, who is deemed insane, is really the sane one. A true measure of a book’s worth is that it keeps the reader engaged and thinking long after the book has been completed, and Catch 22 does that. It leaves you pondering the unanswerable question, the insolvable Catch 22 of it all. Is it insane to think that everyone is out to kill you, or is this basic instinct of self-preservation that makes humans sane at all?

Reviewed by BHS student A. Bonomo