"Catch 22" and your opinion about it?

Question

I've just finished reading "Catch 22" by Joseph Heller. What's your opinion about that book?

I would like to add that I loved "Catch 22" and think it must be one of the best books ever written. What I was interested in was your opinion about it, not a summary. Please read the question before answering and don't answer if you have not read the book.

Answer 1

Catch 22 is a book I wish I could hate, but can't. It's by far the wittiest critique of war ever written. There is an unmistakable "us vs. them" cynicism to it that we can all relate to. In this case the "us" is the average person just trying to keep his/her head above water; and the "them" is government. Which government? Any and all governments.

There is poor Yossarian desperately trying to stay alive. He wants the war to be won; but he doesn't want to be a casualty of it. His reasoning is that victory doesn't mean much if you're dead; and I have to admit there's an unmistakable logic to his views. But this is where I really hate the book.

Ultimately, Yossarian's position is immoral. If everyone had taken his view, Hitler would have won. We must never forget Edmund Burke's chilling advice -- "all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." And this is Yossarian's tragic flaw -- ultimately he sees himself as the "highest good" and the "total good." His position is small-minded and selfish. No good thing was ever accomplished by those who thought only of themselves. Look at Dr. Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandella, and countless more individuals I could mention. All of these people could have refrained from being involved. Each one could have made a comfortable life without the grief. But they threw themselves into the fray, knowing that they could (and WOULD) face innumerable hardships, and maybe death itself.

Where would we be without the sacrifices of the great? No. I'm sorry; but Yossarian's world view is pathetic and small -- and I hate it.

But as I said at the top, I can't hate the book. It's so funny; and I can relate to the idea of the little guy crushed by the machine, and just trying to survive. And maybe that's the best way to look at the book -- as an object-lesson in what happens to people when the system becomes overwhelming.

I hope this answer helps. Cheers.

Answer 2

If you actually think about the ideas in this book you see that it takes for granted that it is always the Americans who will be victorious. The glorification of cowardice and surrender for example - is that really something you could recommend to the Russians in 1941, or the British in 1940? Heller has a good deal of wit, but on the big issues he is blind.
It is his best book, however. He should have called it a day then, and not brought out strings of boring books since.

Answer 3

The most important philosophical work from the second half of the 20th Century. Today we talk about a 'no win situation' - damned if you do, damned if you don't.
Take a look at Iraq. Having created the mess, countries who pull out will be made responsible for the ensuing mayhem, if they don't pull out then the chaos is put down to their presence in the country.
Catch 22. Where I live, an asylum seeker who cannot identify himself with an official document (passport or identity card) runs the risk of his case not being considered. An asylum seeker presenting identification is told that, if he was really persecuted in his native country, he would not have been able to obtain the identification documents.

Poor Yossarian. That doesn't mean that I think the Turkish Republic should be pilloried for crimes perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire in its death-throes. For the uninitiated Yossarian is an Armenian name.

Answer 4

Sorry, but I found it a very ordinary American book that acquired literary pretension by running the chapters from back to front. The catch itself and the character of Yossarian are good, but nothing special for me. The humour was lost on me with the description of the forced rape of the two blonde schoolgirls and the murders by Cap - nasty taste in the mouth. Yet these latter facts are NEVER mentioned - people are remembering the film, not the book, probably. Regards, Steve.

Answer 5

I loved this book! Maybe it was just my ignorance of it before I read it, but it's ridiculous humour was completely unexpected-it had me laughing out loud more than any book I've read!

And I love it all the more for being funny AND being about such an otherwise serious issue of war and suffering. Nothing is as good as humour to open your emotions to a subject- and i found it made me feel the tragedy of war more effectively than some other, more serious novels on the subject.

Answer 6

I have worked in a bookshop for years, and have read hundreds of books of all kinds, but if i had to choose, say, three excellent, excellent books Catch 22 would be one of the three. I think it's brilliant, very funny, witty, sad, clever, everything. He hasn't been able to write anything else that is as good.

Answer 7

It's many years since I read it but I still re-call certain events and passages, so it went in!

Basically it's renown for it's vivid exposure of the flip-flops those in power do to remain in control and abuse others, whilst at the same time the 'others' (the common Joe's) are mostly working to there own agendas - sometimes tragically and at other times maddeningly.

Some think if highlights the stupidity of war, but I prefer to think it shows the resilience of the individual and just the traits which make us all so different.

I hope you enjoyed it.

Answer 8

Too long and hard to read.
However one of amy all time favourite quotes is in it, something like:

Sport is something where one man wants to be better than another man at something that is of no use to anybody!!!

I hate sport and think this is hailarious and still remember it even though I read the book years ago.

Answer 9

I love it, I've read it over and over again. It's one of the best and funniest books ever written in my opinion, with moments of real beauty and sadness.

Answer 10

Hard work in places. I think they stuck pretty well to the book in the film, but if you hand't read the book the film would have seemed a bit surreal.