Joseph Heller Catch XXII

JOSEPH HELLER CATCH- 22

Joseph Heller, author of the book Catch-22, was born in 1923 in Brooklyn, in state New York. He was fighting in World War 2 and after his return at home he was studying on New York University, Columbia and Oxford University.He built his succesful carreer as a advertising expert in magazines such like Time or Look. In this time he decided to write Catch-22, novel, which made him famous all over the world. Joseph Heller, author several bestsellers (Good As Gold, Closing Time!), died in 1999 as a famous, rich and reputable writer.
Catch-22 is a very succesful work of american literature based on World War 2. It is one of few antiwar works, in which he brilliantly used humour, paradox and absurdity.
After geneurous accepetance of readers author had lived accusatives for “antiamericanism” and insulting for derision to heroism of customers of World War 2.
The base of work is look at uncertainty of World War 2 by view of american soldier combatant in Europe. In ultimate result goes about desertion, when hero flees from something.
Hellers’s hero senses scare of death like a base feeling. Impulse of self-preservation speaks to avoid a place where is possible to go off, even if it noone entitles heroism.
Heller decans one more front – struggle of soldier against of majors and of their absurd mandates. There is fanatic desire of lower swabs to promote – it’s called “war in war”.
The greatest enemy of squadron and full army is the law – Catch-22, which defines charges of soldier. This law isn’t concrete defined and commander can it render like he want but never in favour of soldier. But it’s only fiction. In reality it’s fictive toll to retain soldiers “under plate cover”.
Every character in this book (by me sight) images some main feature or attribute of every man.
The most interesting character is Milo Minderbinder, who’s main features are moneymaking and meanness. He built up a syndicate and said each is member of it and has a share. Sounds fantastic! Milo’s aircrafts cross the sky from USA to Ural. He intituled a syndicate M&M that it wouldn’t uprise suspicion that this company controls only one man. For bigger profit he was obliging to bombard own squadron with own planes. He didn’t attack only landing yard and a cantine, because soldiers want to land safely and they deserve a tasty food after a hard day.

And of course control tower had to stand safely because without Milo’s commands navigators wouldn’t know what to destroy. When colonel Cathcart told him it was quite rude, Milo labeled him an enemy of free enterprising in order what colonel humbly called off his statement. He deposed that the trade doesn’t see any contrasts between folks. Only condition to trade is who pays first and best.
Another important character (colonel Cathcart) doesn’t care about anything then his own career. Increases amount of aerial assaults in order to gain appreciation of his governing general Peckem. Any time few soldiers finish current amount of assaults they pack their lugagge and get ready to go home. Hungry Joe becomes angry and stressed as he is impatient to get “home ferry”. He howles all the night and sleeps with Huple’s cat on his face. Wakes up with red eyes confident that he wasn’t sleeping last night at all.
Then everything turns back. Colonel Cathcart increases amount of assaults again and nights become calm again. This time Yossarian leaves camp and goes to Rome or hospital with his unfathomable liver because he needed just two or three more assaults to fulfill requested amount of assaults.
Colonel Cathcart is not evil. He just wants to promote. He is prototype of ruthless swab who wants to become even ruthelesser swab. And he uses all the means he’s able to. But it wouldn’t be enough. Light colonel Korn provides him all the help he can. Increasing amount of assaults seems to be a best way how to look marvellous in eyes of general Peckem.
A.T. Tappman, parson of american army is an accurate opposite of Cathcart. He is not sure about anything. When Yossarian begun signing himself Washington Irving on censored letters which left completely blacken with only sentence: “Greetings from A. T. Tappman, parson of US army.” in the camp had appeared a counterspy who wanted to find that mysterious Washington Irving. When Yossarian was really bored changed his signature to Irving Washington what desoriented counterspy even more. First suspicious person was of course the parson. A highly reasonable evidence of this was fact that parson told to colonel that soldiers worship the same god than swabs which resulted into cancellation of masses before the assaults. Parson was told that HE is Washington Irving or maybe Irving Washington. Noone knew eaxactly. Maybe Washington Irving and Irving Washington is the same person but it’s not sure. Because of this parson begun doubt about himslef.

Is it really truth? Is it possible that he might be an foreign spy?
Parson doubts all the time about everything. At the end he doubts even about existence of god. Sometimes he terryfied finds himself thinking very viciously about his wife. But the most important character of the book is Yossarian. He is not a hero. Just by saying that he is a soldier we might lie. He is just guy who was so unlucky that he had to join the army and cross the ocean to join the war he doesn’t care about. He doesn’t want to defeat enemy, he doesn’t want to be hero, he just wants to survive. At any cost. He hates that damned Catch-22 that obstructs him to go home. Anytime it looks that he’s going home, there’s a little problem- catch-22. It solves any problem swabs may have with the crew. For example anyone who is mad has to leave the army. And it’s clear that anyone who continues risking his life every day is mad. But to go home he has to request it. And (by catch-22) in this moment he’s not mad any more. It’s just the example, but it represents logic of catch-22. But finally Yossarian becomes really mad. It’s not hard to understant while imaging his friend Snowden dying in the back of the bomber with huge hole in his chest. Yossarian had a wonderful view on Snowden’s liver, stomach, kidney and much more interesting things inside.
It’s so much to write about. But it would have no effect compared to the experience you gain after reading this book. It’s really wonderful!.