'Catch 22' Word History:
According to the book, the word ‘Catch 22’ stands for the law that enables the American Defense Bureaucrats ‘the right to have a right to do anything anyone can’t stop them from doing’.
After the release of this book, the word ‘Catch 22’ was listed in English dictionaries an absurd logic that follows a general equation in which A must have been preceded by B and B must have been preceded by A.
The Catch 22 empowers superiors with the right to crush all those who do not have the power to stop them. It works using a circular logic which is actually illogical. Illogicality forced to be accepted as logicality. It represents tyranny, or a no-win situation.
About the Book:
Sounds Weird, isn’t it? Yes, Joseph Keller’s Catch 22 is one of the weirdest books I have ever read.With all its crazy characters each with absurdly funny stories that can make the reader laugh louder than one normally laughs while reading a P.G Wodehouse book.
But unlike Wodehouse books there is an ever present sense doom that waits each of the crazy characters of this book. For this story is set in the times of the World War II; the characters are the soldiers fighting not for their nation but for their own dear lives.
A serious theme revealing the brutalities and the basic illogicality of war is nicely camouflaged inside a book filled with some of the funniest of characters and the strange, comical things that happen to them before most of them die.
The Main Character:
The book starts with the point of view of a man called Yossarian a pilot cum lead bombardier of the United States Air Force, who finds himself flying over the thin line between life and death, every time he flies a mission for the war. Yossarian is a very much sane paranoidwhose main problem is being forced to fly more and more combat missions, when he desperately wants to be sent home.
‘Isn’t that unpatriotic? Isn’t it the duty of soldiers of a nation to fight for the nation?’ One may ask such questions, but Yossarian has rightly identified that anyone who wants him dead is his enemy. Hence his greatest enemiesare not the Germans and Italians who are also dying on another side of the world split in to two sides waging war against each other, but the American bureaucratswho without themselves participating in life risking situations want the war go on for personal reasons like greed for money and fame.
The Story:
There isn’t a proper story, only introduction of characters that influence and are influenced by war. The title of each chapter is about each character. Some crazy, some stupid, some dumb ... Each chapter gives a brief peek in to the history of each character and their relationship to Yossarian. Some of the interesting characters are listed below,
Dunbar is as crazy as Yossarian, and is forced to ‘disappear’by higher officials.
Orr the stupid small man who is the master of all small jobs that will keep him immersed in lowlife forever, shares Yossarian’s tent.
Aarfy the insensitive idiot, who has never paid for whores, flies with Yossarian in combat missions.
Dobbs who wants to murder to Colonel Cathcart, but wants Yossarian’s word before going for it.
Doc Daneeka the squadron’s doctor who has been officially declared dead, is a friend of Yossarian.
Snowden who dies out of an invisible chest injury, leaves Yossarian in the pit of guilt.
Nately the over zealous young man who is tragically killed in an accident, has a lover who is determined to murder Yossarian for breaking the news to her.
Mudd the dead man who never existed as per official records has his things still in Yossarian’s tent.
Clevinger the good man who is punished for telling Yossarian that he cannot be punished and vanishes under a cloud
Major Major the confused lad who hasn’t recovered from the shock of being promoted to the post of a major, hates the job so much that he becomes a recluse and orders his secretary not to allow his visitor’s inside his office, until he is not in, and signs his papers with the name ‘Washington Irving’or ‘Irving Washington’ as he finds it boring to sign using his own name.
Tappman the chaplain who has been marked for punishment (punishment not decided) for being caught red handed after stealing a plump red tomato which was only given to him, for being found not using his own signature and signing papers which was never his, under the name ‘Washington Irving’ and for committing unmentionable crimes which he had never committed, finally discovers the secret of survival along with Yossarian.
(The secret is to punch Captain Black on the nose everyday)
Colonel Cathcartthe insecure colonel whose main aim in life is to become a general is the main adversary of Yossarian.
Captain Black whose major aim in life is to become a major, hates Major Major who was unfairly promoted to the post of a major, so madly that he would do anything to make Major Major’s life hell
Whitcomb who always finds fault with Tappman, exults with the news of death but is also happy to send condolence messages to dead peoples family.
Milo Mindbenderthe chief cook who has no scruples attached would go any lengths to make profits, like making soldiers eat chocolate coated cotton and bombing his own squadron.
Catch words:
Some unforgettable dialogues …
Milo: ‘The profit goes to the syndicate. And everybody has a share’
Major Major Major Major: ‘No one can is allowed inside my office, when I am in there. Ask them to wait till I leave’
Italian old Woman: ‘Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can’t stop them from doing.’
Dobbs: ‘I want to kill Colonel Cathcart. Yossarian tell me ‘go for it’’
Captain Flume: ‘Do you want to tear me off limb to limb?’
Whitcomb: ‘That’s one more thing that is wrong with you’
Major_de Coverly: ‘I WANT EAT’
Yossarian: ‘I won’t fly any more missions’
Lastly,
Tappman: ‘That’s some catch. This catch 22’
Conclusion:
What a touching comedy this is!
