Our book group choice for June 2010 is Catch-22 by Joseph Heller. It is like no other novel. It is one of the funniest books ever written, a keystone work in American literature, and even added a new term to the dictionary.
At the heart of Catch-22 resides the incomparable, malingering bombardier, Yossarian, a hero endlessly inventive in his schemes to save his skin from the horrible chances of war. His efforts are perfectly understandable because as he furiously scrambles, thousands of people he hasn’t even met are trying to kill him. His problem is Colonel Cathcart, who keeps raising the number of missions the men must fly to complete their service. Yet if Yossarian makes any attempts to excuse himself from the perilous missions that he is committed to flying, he is trapped by the Great Loyalty Oath Crusade, the hilariously sinister bureaucratic rule from which the book takes its title: a man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes the necessary formal request to be relieved of such missions, the very act of making the request proves that he is sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.
Catch-22 Discussion Questions
- One of the most challenging aspects of this novel is piecing together the order in which events occur. How does Heller manipulate time, fragment the action and confuse cause and effect? More importantly, how does this confusing form fit the function? In other words, how does the way in which this story is told fit with what is actually happening in the story?
- How is insanity defined in Catch 22? What characteristics do “crazy” characters have? Is madness the norm or an exception during wartime?
- Does there seem to be any system of justice in the novel? Are “good” characters rewarded while “evil” ones punished? Can we clearly say who is “good” or “evil”? If not, is there such thing as justice at all?
- Define the logic of Catch 22. What part does this logic play in the story being told?
- Catch 22 is an allegory of the common man vs. the bureaucracy of modern-day America. In Catch 22, how does the administration of the Air Force abuse its power? How does it keep its men enlisted and active? If it doesn’t care for the well-being of its men, what are its goals?
- Are there any purely “good” characters in the book? If so, who are they and how is their goodness expressed? On the other hand, how do the more flawed characters demonstrate their cynicism, deceit, blindness, or lust for power?
- Few of the characters ever form lasting friendships with fellow soldiers. How is the individual kept isolated from his peers? In what ways do they cope with their loneliness?
- Why is Yossarian so obsessed with death? Is he correct in assuming everyone is out to kill him? How do the deaths of Nately and Snowden change him?
- How does Yossarian keep his personal integrity amidst all the corruption and apathy in Pianosa? What particular characteristics does he value? And what moral lines does he refuse to cross?
- Do you consider the ending of Catch 22 a happy or sad one? How might it be construed as a triumph for Yossarian? A defeat? Is it the only way out of the mad system of Catch-22?