MouthShut.com Would Like to Send You Push Notifications. Notification may includes alerts, activities & updates.

OTP Verification

Enter 4-digit code
For Business
MouthShut Logo
Upload Photo

MouthShut Score

100%
4.59 

Readability:

Story:

×

Upload your product photo

Supported file formats : jpg, png, and jpeg

Address



Contact Number

Cancel

I feel this review is:

Fake
Genuine

To justify genuineness of your review kindly attach purchase proof
No File Selected

War's Absurdity Illustrated
Aug 30, 2004 11:29 PM 3822 Views
(Updated Aug 30, 2004 11:29 PM)

Readability:

Story:

The phrase ?Catch-22? didn?t exist until this book coined it in 1961. The author, Joseph Heller inadvertently added it to the English language when he used it to describe an American regulation governing pilot?s required number of combat missions.


The rule was this: Pilots could only be grounded if they were insane; however they had to request this. But - asking to be grounded proved you sane and so there was no escape, and this was known as Catch-22.


This simple problem becomes a metaphor for all that goes on in this novel and correspondingly, in virtually any warfare. The book is bitingly funny, filled with tragic incidents and is chaotic, much like war.


The plot revolves around the lives of a group of American bomber pilots in World War II. The central character is Yossarian, who we first met in hospital. The book details events form his life in a seemingly random order, in some ways similar to Kurt Vonnegut?s, ?Slaughterhouse Five? where an American soldier becomes ?unstuck in time.? In Heller?s case, this isn?t as blatant and you see the order is in fact carefully constructed to build towards a climax.


Yossarian is surrounded by a cast of bizarre characters, including Colonel Scheisskopf, obsessed with winning military parades at the expense of just about everything else. Then there is the newly promoted Major Major, who once promoted, becomes Major Major Major and then spends most of the war trying to hide from his men.


Each of the unique and colorful characters adds a bit to the pastiche of moods and attitudes deftly displayed here. Absurdities run through the book such as when Doc Daneeka was supposedly killed when the plane he was in crashed?he wasn?t killed since he always avoided flying, but in the US Air Force, once it?s in the paperwork, it?s a done deal?so there?s no going back ? to everyone else, including his misinformed wife, he remains dead ? no discussion.


It?s a simple idea to posit that war is absurd but it takes a clever writer to illustrate through the actions and inactions of his characters. Catch-22 is the kind of novel that welcomes a second and third read and is highly recommended.


Upload Photo

Upload Photos


Upload photo files with .jpg, .png and .gif extensions. Image size per photo cannot exceed 10 MB


Comment on this review

Read All Reviews

YOUR RATING ON

Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
1
2
3
4
5
X