When I was about 14 years old, I read the book Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. I got the sense that it was a good book, and even enjoyed it a little, but I was very confused the whole time. The writing was simply over my head at the time. I resolved to reread the book later, when I might have a better chance of understanding what was going on. Since I recently had two weeks off of school, I decided to do exactly that over break.
The plot of Catch-22 is difficult to describe succinctly because there are so many tangents and subplots, but I’ll do my best. The main character is Yossarian, a very reluctant soldier in World War II. He seems to be the only one aware that there are thousands of people trying to kill him, and as a result is very paranoid. He is extremely afraid of dying, and does all he can to keep from flying missions. The missions he is avoiding are extremely dangerous, so much so that any soldier willing to fly them is declared insane and is thereby released from service. However, if a soldier ever asks to be released on these grounds, he must be sane and has to keep flying the missions. This law is known as Catch-22 (hence the title), and is one of many oxymorons and hypocrisies in the book. The book contains many wacky characters with colorful names (Major Major Major Major and Major ——— de Coverley being two examples), and reads more like a piece of satire than a war drama. The strong anti-war message of the book still resounds, and is made stronger by some of the cruel ironies in the story.
This book came out after WWII but before the Vietnam War, so it preceded the wave of cynical negativity surrounding war that swept across the US. As a result, the book was received to very mixed results, with some loving it and some hating it. Much of the controversy centered around Heller’s unconventional writing style, which is choppy and irreverent.
I loved Catch-22 the second time around. There were still parts where I was confused (there are many characters who appear with no introduction, and then are never mentioned again), but I definitely got more of the main themes and “deeper meaning” this time. Personally, I enjoy Heller’s sardonic style, and I think it’s most of the reason that this book is a classic.
