by Chad Cowgill

Created on: November 02, 2009

"Catch-22" is a novel by Joseph Heller first published in the 1950's. In short, it shows the absurdity of war. Taking it a little further, it shows the absurdity of those in power and often times the sort of conditions and rules they give to those below them. The wider view, is that it shows the absurdity of the human condition and of our way of structuring life.

In the novel, Catch-22 is an unwritten rule that the officers in charge point to whenever they want someone below them to follow orders. Set in World War II at an air force camp, the officers want their underlings to do whatever makes life easiest for the officers. Therefore, if something is against regulations or will just make their life easier they point to Catch-22 so that the privates will have to obey.

To give just an idea of the satire used in the book, here is an example:

_____

"From now on," Major Major said to the middle-aged enlisted man who took care of his trailer, "I don't want you to come here while I'm here to ask me if there's anything you can do for me. Is that clear?"

"Yes sir," said the orderly. "When should I come here to find out if there's anything you want me to do for you?"

"When I'm not here."

"Yes, sir. And what should I do?"

"Whatever I tell you to."

"But you won't be here to tell me. Will you?"

"No."

"Then what should I do?"

"Whatever has to be done."

"Yes, sir."

"That will be all," said the Major Major.

____

And then the Major Major goes on tell to the orderly to only come to clean the trailer when the Major Major is not there. And how is the orderly to know he is not there? He is to assume that the Major Major is there and to come back only when he is sure that the Major Major is not there.

It has been a long while since I have last read the novel, but its title has made it into the American lexicon. Whenever life has gotten you stuck in a paradox, you have found a Catch-22 moment. And is it just me or are these moments happening more and more often as the government and corporations put us in seemingly impossible situations?

In military matters this must be a very prevalent situation as orderlies have a much bigger incentive to follow the orders of their commanding officers.

The book goes on to describe various characters as they learn to deal with the meaninglessness of war and their current situations. They break rules, skip out on battles, some gloriously die, and others become womanizers, or hide out in the medical ward to avoid duties.

One part of life that will not be a Catch-22 is reading this novel. It is only recommended for mature readers. You will enjoy the personalities of the characters and the dialogue especially. The plot is interesting and the humor is enjoyable. While I may not wholeheartedly agree with the ideas of Heller, he is a good writer and does well using his writing style to make a clear point about life.

I hope you have fun reading "Catch-22" and learn a little bit about how some people, including Heller, view life as something being out of our control.

Learn more about this author, Chad Cowgill.
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