Customer Reviews

Catch-22

5 star:		(641)
4 star:		(163)
3 star:		(50)
2 star:		(32)
1 star:		(53)

 

 

CATCH-22 is masterful in so many ways. It begins as comic farce, proceeds to the increasingly surreal, and then transforms into a nightmarish tragedy before ending triumphantly. No novel that I know so successfully blends all these disparate moods. I believe it was Hugh Walpole who wrote, "Life is a comedy to those who think, and a tragedy to those who feel." No book illustrates that better than this novel. This truly is one of the funniest books I have ever read. It is also one of the most tragic.

CATCH-22 also introduces one of the most insane collection of great characters in fiction: Yossarian, the Chaplain, Orr, ex-P.F.C Wintergreen, Milo Minderbender, Maj. Major Major Major, Nately, Doc Daneeka, Danby, General Dreedle, Nately's girl (not the description in the book, but Amazon's software will bleep it), Cathcart, Nurse Duckett, The Texan, Major ----- de Coverley, The Soldier in White, and a host of other characters. It is one of the most gloriously populated novels of the past half century.

This is a novel I can almost not discuss except through superlatives: greatest war novel I have read, funniest novel I have ever read, greatest English language novel of the past 60 years. But the best thing is that it is, on top of being a superb book, an exceedingly fun book to read. Even at its nightmarish, this is a fun, delightful book. And few novels contain as many unforgetable moments as this one.

I would first like to inform other reviewers that I am a high school junior, read this as part of a choice novel project, and had no trouble grasping the ideas that Joseph Heller presented within his Catch-22.

The sarcastic attitude of this novel is conspicuous, and all bonds with reality are dropped with the first character introductions. The humor that has previously been criticized I found to be easy to understand, not monotonous, and a unique aspect to illustrate WW2. This is not to say the humor is for all, because Heller uses many paradoxes (look up definition of "catch-22"), simple one line contradictions, and subtle word choices to draw a laugh-all which represent the personality of the novel.

Yes, there are many characters, probably over fifty, yet grasping the names is not important at all times. Of course you quickly get associated with Yossarian and the other main characters, and chapter do reintroduce people from the early parts of the book. This may be annoying, yet each character is distinct, and there is little chance of confusing Milo, and entrepeneur, with Havermeyer, the elite pilot. In truth, the novel lacks a linear time, but chooses, rather, to define the novel through numerous character sketches, focusing them loosely around Yossarian. By the later chapters of the novel, Heller subtly introduces the gruesome truths of the war, balancing the early humor with more realistic look. It is through this transition that the weight of the situation is elucidated, and by contrasting the final chapters with the first, Heller is able to attract our attention and force us to analyze the war.

What is the novel about? There is no simple answer, yet if I attempt to state it in a single sentence Catch-22's theme, it would be "The only true fault of America's once the war began, was that we as a nation began to glorify war, without truly understanding the implications of our actions."

What is the idea behind catch-22 as a statement? Read the book. Enjoy. Open your eyes with laughter and tears. Perhaps you won't like the satirical tone, but I would suggest to all that you try.

When I was in high school, my English teacher introduced me to the absurdity of war. We were assigned to read "Dulce Et Decorum Est" by the great war poet Wilfred Owen. This poem refuted the "old lie", Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori - How sweet and fitting it is to die for one's country. After reading this poem, I suddenly realized how wasteful and utterly senseless war is, especially for the unfortunate people who must put their life on the line.

One day, I was in a second-hand bookstore, and by chance spotted a copy of "Catch-22." I had no idea what the book was about, but once I started reading, I couldn't stop. This book, like Owen's poem, describes how frightening and pointless war is to the soldier. However, while Owen uses gory details to bring forth his ideas, Heller uses satire.

This book captures the personal fears and opinions of the troubled bombadier, Yossarian. He does not know why he has to be there, and he certainly does not want to die.

Yossarian stated that he didn't care if this opinion made the enemy happy. He said that the enemy is anybody who wants to kill you, and it was his superior who kept sending him out to get killed...This makes me wonder about the millions of soldiers throughout time, for this thought must have passed through some of their minds at some desperate point. The old men who instigate and plan wars are not the ones who will die. Rather, they send people out to die for *their* cause.

As you can see, this book really made me think. Yes, I thought, I laughed till I cried, then I cried for the senselessness of it all. Heller is a genius!

For so many of us growing up in the USA, our high school teachers assigned us Joseph Heller's "Catch-22" as required reading, and I was among those assignees. I'm not sure why the requirement, other than perhaps some Catch-22 type of logic that everyone else was assigning it, so there, must be great, must read. I don't particularly remember liking the novel then, perhaps with no more substantial of a reason than -- just not my style. Reading the novel now, in midlife, my opinion (or my literary style) has changed little, but today, I can attempt to add to "not my style" perhaps a few deeper insights.

In this second read, I realize what so fails to appeal to me is Heller's slapstick, absurdist, repetitive and dizzyingly circular style of storytelling. At the same time, I fully realize this is also the appeal of the novel for many: it's absurdity. Indeed, time has tested Heller's topic of war having little logic or reason in the real world, mostly born of individual and governmental insanity, power plays and mere whim, male ego clashing and chest thumping. Few wars seem to have good reason for happening when one considers all the other possibilities of resolution. While leaders sit safely in secure offices on fortressed hilltops, the common soldier takes all the risks, offers up his/her body for battering, endures indescribable torments in battle, and often gives the ultimate sacrifice of life. Shall we debate the virtues of boxing rings for political leaders instead? Yes, war is absurd. And Heller captures this "crazy-making" truth in a crazy-making novel in which characters dance to illogical commands, spin in frustration, and dig themselves in ever deeper as they try harder and harder to dig themselves out. You know... as in war.

So I slogged through the pages like a good soldier. Characters leapt forward and backward in time, one event led to no other event, resolution rarely made a showing, and the dance of insanity kept the main lead. Even as I slogged, I could not deny what an excellent reflection of warring reality Heller's writing proved to be. Kudos for that. Redeeming factor.

And then, somewhere towards the final pages, I was somewhat won over. Without losing his voice of absurdity, the author had Yossarian, key player, say lines so absurd they rang true to the core, e.g. "but we don't want what we want!" and I could only shake my head and echo, oh indeed. We don't. When offered a bounty of temptations to sell out his soul, Yossarian denied them all, and in his crazy way, spoke utter sanity. How common is it to want something desperately much of our lives, only to realize we don't want it at all when fantasy turns into reality? A gold star for the author. Other episodes of Yossarian struggling to keep a fellow soldier alive even as his guts spill out, the sheer horror and despair and helplessness of the situation, hit target. Bravo.

This, and Heller's commentaries on man being little more than meat, fodder for the brutalities of war, resounded with such painful truth that today's reader can only look up at current events and current disasters and realize -- we are living in a world ruled by absurdities even today. History has taught us nothing.

And so, I could be convinced that Heller's novel is a classic. Perhaps it is.

To be honest with all you gentle readers, I don't much admire War novels, nor do I stand by the title of my review. Generally, I believe War is truly Hell.

But last Winter, in the grips of a bout of quasi-depression-for-teens following a move to the most FLAT province in Canada, I truly thought I was in Hell. An e-mail friend suggested Catch-22 to use up edgy cabin-fever time. Now, let it be known that my attention span for most novels dwindles quickly, especially if the book is slow to pick up. While significantly slower to get 'into' than most of the writing I chase, Catch-22 sucked me in, like Alice down the rabbit hole. It is sharply funny, engaging, and chock full of delightful characters. The main character is a thinker; a young man disheartened by war and his own mortality. His name is Yossarian, and since reading this novel, he has stood out in my mind as being one of the most...sculpted... characters in the history of literature.

Put simply, this book is a satire about World War 2. Coming from a kid sickened by the very idea of war, I can say that this book is worth whatever bills you have to fork over for it. It's not about war, per se, but more about the human condition. In addition, it made me laugh a few times, something that only a few other works of fiction have ever been successful in accomplishing. I finished this book feeling oddly... renewed. If you're looking for something 'new' (or, so old it's new) and engaging, I heartily recommend 'Catch-22' by Joseph Heller.

Undoubtedly, this book is a modern classic. To describe and elucidate all peculiarities of its style, allusions (Shakespeare, Dostoevsky, etc.), plot, characters and its influence on the modern culture and life one will need to write another book of similar volume. So I'll be short: the novel is excellent, a must read.

It starts as a brilliant satire showing absurdity of a war machine and its human components. In times the story is so funny that it is preferably to read in solitude in order not to exasperate people with irrepressible laughter. But in the second half of the novel the festive mode metamorphoses: a hilarity becomes a horror of a man ensnared by a booby trap. The events and orders are crazy but the blood of friends is absolutely real. The black comedy, taking place in Italy during World War II, transforms into a hideous picture of the human society, where a life of an ordinary person signifies nothing being only a card in heinous game of rapacious and salacious potentates. In one of the last chapters Rome, the Eternal City, appears as an apocalyptic vision of impending destruction of the iniquitous world. The marvelous novel of Joseph Heller warns us: Be vigilant!

Catch-22 is not a book America wants to read, especially in her present state of patriotism. One cannot picture Heller's Yossarian sporting a "These Colors Don't Run" T-shirt and waving a flag. Indeed, the opening chapter explicitly refutes any interpretation that suggests Yossarian's actions are rooted in a deep sense of nationalism: an uber-patriotic Texan drives almost all the men out of a hospital ward and back into combat. Catch-22 is a book that challenges the logic of war. It combines wry humor with startlingly affecting anecdotes to force the reader into asking questions. It is the portrait of a man who is dangerously sane, but trapped in the insanity of war by catch-22.
When I started reading Joseph Heller's Catch-22, I had no idea what to expect. I scanned the buzzwords on the back cover..."apocalyptic, bitter, hilarious, monumental, original, subversive, classic." What I found was a moving satire, centered ..., an allegory who manages to retain his humanity. The fact that Heller's Yossarian was indeed so easy to relate to contributed to the book's power. The novel brings you deep into the world of war, as viewed by a soldier. Yossarian's experiences are not entirely realistic, and much of what happens over the course of the novel seems to make no sense at all. In presenting war in such a manner, Heller asks the reader whether the reality of war makes any more sense than does Yossarian's story. Heller says that war itself is a great catch-22, a paradoxical trap that humans walk into time and time again. He questions the logic of the illogical, and asks the reader to try and rationalize the irrational.
Catch-22 is significant because it claims that not only war is a catch-22. The metaphor extends to include life itself. We see that the characters are not merely fighting to survive the war...they are fighting to be immortal. Each has his own way, whether it be by enduring boredom to make time move slower, or by gaining global power through commerce and enterprise. They are all trying to cheat death. Heller's novel reveals many deep and often unpleasant truths, but it does it with humor and style. For this reason, Catch-22 has reached "classic" status and will probably remain a classic for generations to come.
As a book, Catch-22 is flawless. It is moving, witty, and ultimately one of the greatest novels I have ever read. It deserves every one of its five stars. However, to those who are interested in reading it, I warn you to take Heller's work with a grain of salt. Many may find the satire offensive in light of the current global situation. Please do not let current events get in your way. Catch-22 is a wonderful, eye-opening novel; but as with all "subversive" literature, it must be approached with an open mind.

Having recently read and greatly enjoyed Herman Wouk's "The Caine Mutiny" and Hemingway's "For Whom the Bell Tolls", I expected "Catch-22" to be a straightforward war novel. Boy, was I wrong, and pleasantly surprised!

There are two sides to the style of "Catch-22". On one hand, the character profiles and the bits of dialogue showing how the characters interrelate are hilarious. Heller's prose is as funny as P.G. Wodehouse's and even his wry style of humor is very similar to Wodehouse's. But Heller is not using humor to lighten the mood of war, nor is "Catch-22" merely humorous. The other side of the novel is its realistically gory portrayal of the atrocities of war (some of which are even the result of "friendly fire"), including detailed accounts of the sights, sounds, and terrors of flying in a World War II bomber aircraft.

Rather than present the plot in a linear, chronological fashion, Heller cleverly and innovatively cuts it up like a jigsaw puzzle and lets the reader put the pieces together. Only towards the end of the novel, relating Yossarian's sadness at the news of Nately's death and the events that follow, does the plot start to proceed a little more conventionally until Yossarian makes his final decision to escape his predicament.

If the novel has a theme, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it's about the evils of rationalization; that is, the way people interpret and twist the logic and laws of authority or society to their own advantage. People's desire for power, status, and money results in excuses for military brutality and endangering the lives of others, and "Catch-22" illustrates numerous examples.

Joseph Heller's excellent anti-war satire is on of the most poignant, intriguing and comical books ever written. The conversations of his roundabout characters are some of the wittiest pieces of dialogue one could ever find in a novel, and the underlying satire and social commentary behind every character and every page really does pack a punch. Catch-22 is both hilarious, cynical and scathingly satirical: a masterpiece; a tremendous achievement.

It revolves around a group of characters during WWII, notably the eccentric Yossarian. Yossarian is confined to a small military on the island of Pianosa, in amongst a large group of weird and wonderful characters. Each of these characters exhibit strange idiosyncrasies inflicted by the madness of war: they are vehicles for Heller to convey the futility and stupidity of the institution.

Yossarian, no matter what he tries, cannot escape bombardier duty and cannot get transferred. To be transferred, one must be classified as insane. Hence the Catch-22: by exhibiting a concern for one's personal safety and asking for a transfer, one is sane. But, by flying combat missions and risking one's life, one is IN-sane, but by asking to leave, one is SANE! Yossarian is flummoxed.

Catch-22 is one of the best books ever written and I highly recommend it.

Though I have posted dialogue from the book, it DOES NOT contain spoilers!

Obviously I am in the minority when it comes to rating this book, but I guess I'll add my opinion to Amazon's hard drive in the hopes that it will help someone to make a decision on this book:

I really tried to read Catch-22. I have wanted to read it for about three years now, and have always heard good things about it. I went in knowing only what the term 'catch-22' meant, but nothing else.

The first thing that struck me about the book was the humor. I was laughing and giggling for the first few chapters during the humorous dialogue that is rampant throughout that section. I cannot define the humor as deep, as it all seemed just a bit silly. That would be fine for me if it were in small doses - I get plenty of silly humor from my friends - but the book just beats it to death. I'll even demonstrate an example:

There are no spoilers:

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"In sixty days you'll be fighting Billy Petrolle," the colonel with the big fat mustache roared. "And you think it's a big fat joke."
"I don't think it's a joke, sir," Clevinger replied.
"Don't interupt."
"Yes, sir."
"And say 'sir' when you do," ordered Major Metcalf.
"Yes, sir."
"Weren't you just ordered not to interrupt?" Major Metcalf inquired coldly.
"But I didn't interrupt, sir," Clevinger protested.
"No. And you didn't say 'sir,' either..."
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Ok, maybe Mr. Heller is trying to show that commanders aren't listening to the soldiers or maybe he's trying to demonstrate that the commanders are stupid, I don't know. Regardless, what I know is that this type of humor is repeated continuously through the first 80 pages and by that time it is completely overused.

Ergo, my recommendations for the prospective reader therefore is this:
If you think you can handle the described type of humor in large quantities, purchase this book. If you are unsure, rent it from the library. If the above dialogue seems disinteresting, I would search elsewhere for your next book.