Book Review

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Catach-22 is a story of human perseverence and determination. It is funny and highly entertaining. Heller's command over language is extra ordinary and his style is unique. Catch-22 is a nice mix of comedy and sarcasm.

 Ever since January 2009 when one of my teachers recommended me to read Catch-22, I have had a preset notion of the novel. I expected it to be hilarious, comical, and entertaining to the extent of a light piece of writing. I found it to be more than that. Rather, much more than that. It’s a story of human perseverance, persistence, determination, and diligence put in a highly funny way.

Joseph Heller takes us back to the world that it was during the Second World War. Catch-22’s plot is rooted in the Second World War, and the story revolves around an American fighter pilot, Yossarian, who is fatigued by the conflict and wants to be sent home. He makes every effort to escape the war. He has a point: there are thousands of people who are bent upon to kill him!

                                                           
Yossarian is, apparently, an undisciplined, annoying, and unmanageable soldier. However, he ends up as somebody who defies all odds to persevere himself for reasons that are not personal. He prefers common interest over personal glory.

Heller maintains a nice balance between sanity and people driven by insanity. “Ideals are good, but people are sometimes not so good. You must try to look up at the big picture,” Major Danby tells Yossarian in an effort to make him stick to his deal with the military high-ups. The proposed deal serves as a patch up between Yossarian and his military bosses.

Yossarian, who decides to go against the deal, replies affirmatively: “When I look up, I see people cashing in. I don’t see heaven or saints or angels. I see people cashing in on every decent impulse and every human tragedy.”

Catch-22 is full of pun and entertainment. It discusses the Allied forces’ military might in a charmingly entertaining way. Heller’s description of the Allied forces’ efficiency is sharp and hilarious. “Nothing we do in this large department of ours is really very important, and there’s never any rush.”

Heller doesn’t restrict his story to the war zone. Similarly, the novel’s scope is not limited to the soldiers who are fatigued by war or those who take it as an opportunity to prove their valour by bombing and killing innocent civilians. The story is neither restricted to human annihilation nor to devastating effects of the war. Rather, it is more of a combination of all. Heller helps us understand the 1940s world politics. In a very light and jovial way, he describes the US foreign policy interests and what was at stake for it to win the war. 

Rated as a ‘monumental artifact of contemporary American literature’ by the New York Times Book Review, Catch-22 has outlived its longevity. It was written in 1962, but it is still fresh, inventive, and brilliant. This is mainly because of Heller’s witty, humorous, and bitterly funny style. The novel is going to be remembered for ever. It has to its credit something really distinctive. Catch-22 added a new term to the dictionary: Catch-22.

Reviewed by Intikhab Amir