Catch-22
Summary
Catch-22, Joseph Heller's iconic 1961 novel, is widely regarded as one of the most significant works of 20th-century American literature. Set during World War II, the darkly comic story follows US Air Force bombardier John Yossarian as he struggles to maintain his sanity amid the absurdities of war. The novel's non-linear narrative and biting satire of military bureaucracy struck a chord with readers, especially during the Vietnam War era. Popularizing its titular term for a paradoxical dilemma, Catch-22 has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.
Plot
Set during World War II, Catch-22 follows US Air Force bombardier Captain John Yossarian as he desperately tries to stay alive and sane amid the absurdities of war. Stationed on an island off the Italian coast, Yossarian and his fellow airmen must continually fly dangerous combat missions. As the number of required missions keeps increasing, Yossarian schemes to avoid flying by feigning illness and other means.
Yossarian's efforts to escape are thwarted by the paradoxical “Catch-22” rule—airmen who are crazy don't have to fly missions but requesting to be excused from missions proves one's sanity. As Yossarian grapples with this impossible situation, the novel introduces a large cast of eccentric characters and depicts the bureaucratic absurdities and dehumanizing aspects of military life. Key subplots involve the war profiteering of mess officer Milo Minderbinder and the doomed romance between Yossarian's friend Nately and an Italian prostitute.
As the story progresses through a non-chronological structure, more of Yossarian's comrades die or disappear. The horrors of war are gradually revealed, culminating in the full retelling of the traumatic death of Yossarian's young gunner, Snowden. In the end, Yossarian chooses to desert rather than continue participating in the madness around him. He sets off for Sweden, inspired by another airman's successful escape.
Themes
• The illogic of bureaucracy and absurdity of war
• Loss of individual identity in institutional systems
• Abuse of power and authority
• Ethical dilemmas
• The debatable meaning of sanity in wartime
• The inevitability of death
• Critique of capitalism and profiteering from war
Setting
Joseph Heller's satirical novel Catch-22 is set during World War II, primarily in 1944. The story takes place on the fictional Mediterranean island of Pianosa, located off the coast of Italy. This remote island serves as the base for the 256th US Army Air Forces Squadron, where much of the novel's action unfolds.
While Pianosa is the main setting, the novel also includes scenes from other locations. These include flashbacks to the characters' training experiences at Lowry Field in Colorado and Santa Ana Army Air Base in California. The story occasionally shifts to Italy's mainland as well, depicting war-torn villages and cities that contrast sharply with the relative safety of the island base.
Though set during World War II, Heller deliberately included anachronistic elements from the 1950s, such as references to loyalty oaths and IBM computers. This blending of time periods reflects the author's intent to critique not just World War II but also the Cold War era and McCarthyism that followed. The result is a surreal, darkly comic atmosphere that enhances the novel's satirical portrayal of war and bureaucracy.
Characters
• Captain John Yossarian: The protagonist, a bombardier in the US Army Air Forces who is desperate to be relieved from duty.
• Colonel Cathcart: The ambitious, inept group commander who continually raises the number of missions required before airmen can rotate home.
• Milo Minderbinder: The mess officer who builds a vast black-market syndicate.
• Chaplain Albert Taylor Tappman: The mild-mannered chaplain who befriends Yossarian.
• Major Major Major Major: The squadron's hapless commander who tries to avoid all human contact.
• Nately: A young, naive pilot who falls in love with a prostitute.
• Clevinger: An idealistic, scholarly soldier who disappears on a mission.
• Dunbar: Yossarian's friend who tries to prolong his life by cultivating boredom.
• Doc Daneeka: The squadron's flight surgeon who explains the Catch-22 rule.
• Orr: Yossarian's tent-mate, who keeps crashing his plane but survives.
• McWatt: A pilot who enjoys flying dangerously low.
• Lieutenant Scheisskopf: A training commander obsessed with parades.
• General Dreedle: The no-nonsense wing commander.
• Ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen: A mail clerk who wields power by controlling communication.
Quick facts
• Joseph Heller based much of Catch-22, his debut novel, on his experiences as a bombardier during World War II.
• Heller flew 60 bombing missions from May to October 1944.
• The novel coined the term “catch-22," which entered the English lexicon as a paradoxical dilemma.
• The number 22 was chosen somewhat arbitrarily. Earlier drafts of the novel used different numbers, including 18 and 11.
• While playing around with numbers, Heller considered the title “Catch-18," but rejected it to avoid confusion with Leon Uris's novel Mila 18.
• Heller ultimately selected 22 as it was considered a “funnier” number.
• Catch-22 took Heller eight years to write and was repeatedly rejected before being accepted by a publisher.
• The novel's non-chronological narrative was revolutionary for its time and influenced many subsequent authors.
• Catch-22 was not an immediate bestseller but gained popularity through word of mouth, especially on college campuses.
• Heller wrote a sequel called Closing Time in 1994, more than 30 years after Catch-22 was published.
• Catch-22 was adapted into a 1970 film directed by Mike Nichols, a 1973 CBS television pilot, and a 2019 miniseries for Hulu, produced by and starring George Clooney.
• More than 10 million copies of Catch-22 have been sold worldwide.
• Heller claimed he never read another novel as influential as Catch-22 after writing it.
About the author
Joseph Heller
Joseph Heller (1923-1999) was an American author of novels, short stories, plays, and screenplays. He served as a bombardier in World War II, flying 60 combat missions over Italy, an experience that would inform his debut novel and most famous work, Catch-22.
A native of Brooklyn, New York, Heller continued his education after his military service, earning degrees from New York University and Columbia University. He worked in advertising for Time, Look, and McCall's magazines while writing fiction in his spare time. His breakthrough came with Catch-22 (1961), a satirical novel exploring the absurdities of war. Catch-22 eventually became a cultural phenomenon, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide and coining a phrase that entered the English lexicon.
He went on to write several more novels, including Something Happened (1974), 8Good as Gold* (1979), God Knows (1984), Picture This (1988), and Closing Time (1994), as well as two memoirs and numerous short stories. He also ventured into playwriting and screenwriting, notably adapting Catch-22 for the stage and contributing to the film Sex and the Single Girl.
In his later years, Heller taught creative writing at Yale University and the City College of New York. He faced a significant health challenge in 1981 when diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome but recovered and continued writing for nearly another two decades until his death at age 76.