Catch-22

Inspired by the Korean War and his experiences as a bomber plane pilot during World War II, Joseph Heller authored the novel Catch-22. His experiences with the wars influenced the anti-war feelings in the novel.

Set in Italy during World War II, the book focuses on an Air Force soldier named Yossarian who is forced to serve on more missions after the colonel raises the number of required missions before discharge. At one point in the novel, Yossarian attempts to leave by claiming that he is insane, but the doctor prevents him from doing so because by declaring himself as insane, he is proving that he is sane because a sane soldier would claim to be insane in order to get away from the war. Yossarian is stuck in a paradoxical situation in which he cannot escape because of its contradictory rules. In addition to the paradox, the novel is riddled with instances of absurdity, such as when Metcalf and the colonel argue over some trivial lines:

“Now where were we? Read me back the last line."

"'Read me back the last line,'" read back the corporal who could take shorthand.

"Not my last line, stupid!" the colonel shouted. "Somebody else's."

"'Read me back the last line,'" read back the corporal.

"That's my last line again!" shrieked the colonel, turning purple with anger.

 These examples serve to stress the illogical aspect of war and show the reader that war is neither glorious nor heroic, but rather absurd and irrational.

The book is characterized as postmodern not only because of its postmodernist view on war, but also because of its nonlinear, fragmented structure and its depiction of Yossarian as the anti-hero. Catch-22 has no real conclusion at the end and the narrative frequently jumps from one scene to another. Rather than follow a traditional plot pattern, the novel deviates from it. Also, Yossarian is seen as cowardly and selfish because he only cares about surviving the war and attempts to avoid the dangerous missions by faking his illness, whereas a traditional hero character would have fulfilled his duty. 

 Like “Wounded Soldier,” Catch-22 portrays the soldiers’ lives as gruesome and far from heroic. “Boys on every side of the bomb lines were laying down their lives for what they had been told was their country.” Death is a constant presence in a soldier’s time at war, and the men are giving up their lives because they have been manipulated to do so. Furthermore, the slaughter of more people made possible by the invention of bombs lead to a question- is it sensible to end even more lives with the use of technology? This is echoed in Naqoyqatsi, which depicts modernized warfare as destructive and meaningless.

"Catch-22." Wikipedia. Web. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catch_22#Characters 

Heller, Joseph. Catch-22. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1961. Print.

"Catch-22 as Postmodern Literature." 20-th Century-Philosophy. Web. https://20th-century-philosophy.wikispaces.com/Catch-22+as+Postmodern+Literature