Hey everyone! Its been awhile but now I am back and ready to blog since I have a free weekend. I will try to do another blog later in the week because it is almost time for THANKSGIVING BREAK! But without further ado, I am going to review a book that I had to read for AP English, Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. Here we go!
Characters: Yossarian: bombardier for the American army/thinks everyone is trying to kill him/has a dead man in his tent
Chaplain: the minister of the army/a friend of Yossarians/has a hard time dealing with the functioning of the military units
Milo: runs the syndicate/a "friend" of Yossarians/is the mayor of almost every town in Italy
Colonel Cathcart: is obsessed with becoming a general/like most of the people in power he is not too terribly bright/constantly raises the mission levels of his men
Doc Daneeka: military doctor who always thinks something is wrong with him/thinks Yossarian is crazy/has a fear of flying
Plot: There was only one catch, and that was Catch 22. Catch 22 states that in order to willing fly bombarding missions you have to be insane and the only way to get out of flying missions is to prove that you are insane. However, as soon as you apply to get out of flying, that proves that you are sane for not wanting to willing endanger your life, proving you are ineligible to be relieved. This is Yossarians world. A soldier stationed in Pianosa Italy during World War II, Yossarian is plagued with the notion that everyone is trying to kill him and that there is no way he can get out of this war alive. Coupled with the fact that Colonel Cathcart raises the number of missions flown in order to be sent home daily, Yossarian finds himself in his own personal hell. Along with his friends Nately, Milo, Doc Daneeka, and the Chaplain, Yossarian tries to navigate this confusing world while still wondering if it is even possible for any of them to escape with their lives.
What I thought: I know that I usually do a "what I liked" and a "what I didn't like" section but this book is so complex I had a hard time trying to separate my thoughts into two nice neat categories, so I am going to put them all together in one big section, not unlike Catch 22. But anyway back to the book. Let me just start off by saying that I pride myself on being a good reader and being able to follow a book no matter how strange the dialect, or confusing the plot, or crazy the circumstances. This is the first book that I have ever read that has made me confused. I don't say this lightly. Part of the reason this review was so difficult to write is because I am still not entirely sure what went on. However, I don't think that I was prepared for reading Catch 22. I don't mean that I couldn't handle the actual words: there were just so many allusions and references I had no idea what was going on. It frustrated me that none of the characters seemed very well developed. All Nately was was a love sick boy who couldn't wait to get back to his "whore" (Heller's words not mine) in Italy. Yossarian and the rest of his squadron minus the Chaplain were just a bunch of teenage boys who couldn't stop looking at women as some sexual objects for more than two seconds. Frankly, it made me a little nauseous how raunchy this book was. I still don't understand the purpose of the characters being like this unless it was to objectify them and make some statement about the military in general, but I don't think that was the case. However, the actual premise of the book was pure genius. The idea of "Catch 22" was amazing and the situations such as with Doc Daneeka's "death" and the Great Loyalty Oath Crusade really made serious statements about bureaucratic interference in war. Also, the last third of the book was absolutely inspired. Before the last third, Catch 22 seemed to just fly around jumping from character to character and not lasting long enough on each to make the reader love, hate or even get a feeling about any character. The last part though, took a darker turn and focused on Yossarian's loss of most of his friends. One of the last chapters is called "The Eternal City" and it was one of the most haunting pieces of any book that I have ever read. It even had some knock out funny points that made Catch 22 enjoyable to read (something I learned after reading, look up the meaning of "Scheisskopf" in German. Just one of the many things I missed that was pointed out to me by my English teacher). I believe that if I read it again, I would appreciate Catch 22 more. I honestly wish that the book had more of a chronological timeline: it jumped around so much that I had no idea what was going on half the time. Again though, I think this book may have been a little over my head: if I were to read it again though, I might be able to understand it a little bit more.
Overall: 8 out of 10. Catch 22 has made me acutely aware that there is much I have to learn about reading and that books can be confusing and crazy yet still be pure literary genius.
