Heller's Catch-22 (Cliffs Notes) [Paperback]

C. A. Peek (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0822002965 | ISBN-13: 978-0822002963 | Publication Date: January 14, 1976

The original CliffsNotes study guides offer expert commentary on major themes, plots, characters, literary devices, and historical background.

CliffsNotes on Catch-22 takes you into this unforgettable novel that is full of satire, exaggeration, grotesque and comic caricatures, and telling allusions. Heller’s main characters are two Jewish boys from Brooklyn at the end of World War II – one from an orthodox family, one from a secular background. The growing friendship between the boys reflects the tensions within American society.

With this study guide, you’ll be able to follow the unique structure of the novel and supplement your reading with insights into the life and background of author Joseph Heller. Other features that help you study include

• Life and background of the author
• Character analyses of major players
• A character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
• Critical essays
• Review questions

Classic literature or modern modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Cliffs Notes (January 14, 1976)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822002965
• ISBN-13: 978-0822002963
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.9 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #186,679 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #20 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Education > Study Skills
  • #41 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Reference > Study Guides
  • #54 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > United States > History & Criticism

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Catch-22, March 29, 2000

By 

Julia Riechert (Belmont, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Heller's Catch-22 (Cliffs Notes) (Paperback)

I am a high school senior and am currently doing an independent study on American satire. Catch-22, to say the least, is brilliant. It is long and complex, but is a fascinating study of World War II. It is the story of fighter pilots in World War II and the underlying theme is of the insanity of war. Heller captures the very essence of war through his chaotic plot and timeshifts. His characters, especially our lovable protagonist Yossarian, are crazy and yet very real. The book is very humorous, and yet accurately depicts the grotesqueness of war. The book is a challenge, but it is definitely the best book I have ever read. In short, I highly recommend it.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Catch-22, February 27, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Heller's Catch-22 (Cliffs Notes) (Paperback)

Joseph Heller's work, Catch-22, is an unequivocal satire on postmodern American life, with messages of dissident revolt that were well suited to the decade in which it appears. Heller is almost systematic in the issues he touches: the frustration of the individual up against powerful and faceless bureaucracies; the anticommunist purges of the Cold War and its smug hypocrisies; and strong antiwar issues that dominated postmodern America. In Heller's work, escaping these traps and inconsistencies of government is essential in the pursuit of moral and self-preservation. After all, "The enemy," as Yossarian puts it, "is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on." (Joseph Heller)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life changing book!!, September 23, 2008

By 

Joseph C. Martinak (Perryopolis, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Heller's Catch-22 (Cliffs Notes) (Paperback)

After retiring from the United States Marine Corps, I entered college at California University of Pennsylvania and was assigned this book to read in a Lit class. I found myself reading at 2 A.M. and just could not put this book down. After so much time seeing the goodness and insanity of the many places around the world the Corps sent me to, this book had the ability to change my views and attitude towards the many things I had seen and experienced. I could relate to the many actual events and people I had known, and this book, more than any other, truly changed my life. "Man is matter, set him on fire and he will burn, drop him from a building and he will fall..." Continue on reading and find out what man is and what freedom is. After reading this book, get the movie-it is right on line with the book and is great in it's own right. BUT DO NOT watch the movie first-you just will not get it. Trust me-it's a winner and can be a life changer. THE best book I have ever read. Yossarian Lives!!