Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
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Web ID: 156246733 reviews
Boring, would recommend if you like wasting time
Catch-22 is definitely one of the darkest novels I have ever read. As a maturing teenager, I can plainly state that this book is meant for mature adults. Some of the dark humor and other concepts were difficult to understand and it was a long and boring read. A lot of people seem to have good things to say about this novel but personally I feel no such emotion towards this book, and actually feel the opposite. This book was not a good choice to read, an overall negative experience. The main conflict of the story is between Yossarian and the United States Army. He does not want to participate in the war, but there is no way for him to get home without completing his combat duties. This to me is a little interesting but this story is definitely not a favorite of mine especially since it was such a long read and difficult to understand. One very important part of the book was when there was a bombing raid on a small, undefended Italian village. Heller's characters, already very unhappy by their service, don't like the idea of attacking civilians without warning and verbally protest against the mission until they're ordered to do so. This to me is heroic of them but it's not that interesting and the book is very plain to read. One of the central themes in Catch 22 is the fight between individual versus society. Even though the book is set against the background of World War II, it actually is not about that war, but is about a nation and a people. I think that this theme is fairly average, and that it is shoved down your throats through the entire read and is very repetitive. Overall, I personally dislike this book because it was not the most enjoyable read and the story was not very interesting. It is said that Joseph Heller was in fact qualified to write this book and I can see why. He seems to have had a thorough understanding of what is going on in his books universe and it is one positive that he is able to know what he is saying. The main character Yossarian is continually worried about dying, but at the same time continues to fly his missions so that someone else doesn't have to fly his for him. I believe that he is a very noble main character and a very likable person, but his character is written as a very basic hero archetype. This one thing makes him slightly predictable and not a very interesting character to read about. This book made me feel bored and frustrated since when I started reading I had to finish it even if I did not enjoy it. Catch-22 has impacted my life in a very insignificant way, it is not a very life changing book and while it is nice to learn about, it is not the best use of time, and I would rather read other books. Catch-22 is a boring novel and it was not a great use of my time but if you are into wasting time and becoming incredibly bored, then I would recommend this novel.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Catch22 is a classic book and has earned the title
The novel, published in 1961 by Joseph Heller is, at its core, a satire. It follows the protagonist, John Yossarian. He is a soldier during world war two. He is one of the few (and if I am not mistaken only) person in the novel who seems to be aware of the what the war truly is. As I mentioned the novel is a satire, and the name of the novel is based off of a law that is mentioned multiple times both explicitly and is seen in play in numerous stories of the characters. The novel itself is not one long, interconnected story, but rather a series of story's that are non chronological. It follows multiple characters but mainly John Yossarian. One of the main factors that motivate Yossarians ideology is the death of his friend Snowden at the start of the novel, which revealed to him the true brutality of war. Now that the general overview has been explained, let's delve into the meaning. The novel is a satirical critique of war, religion, capitalism, and works as a sort of comedy (not to say that it is like Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, it never really tries to be funny and crack jokes, it's more of this dark humor you can see beneath the brutish nature of a lot of the commentary in the novel thanks to the catch-22 paradox and the absurdity of it when it is used in action) with its paradox that connects all the situations that essentially create the whole plot of the novel. So, the catch-22, what is it exactly? Catch-22 has become a saying, ripped directly from this novel. In Catch-22. here is a law that is mentioned frequently called catch-22. Its a law that doesn't make any sense, and is inherently paradoxical. For instance, it is stated that the law is illegal to read, and this is written into the law itself, but how would anyone know about it without breaking the law? In another instance, Yossarian finds out that it is possible to be discharged from military service because of insanity-something that he really wants to happen (since Yossarian is avidly against war and thinks the senseless chaos, meaningless death, and overall pandemonium is utterly unnecessary, and he repeatedly tries to live as long as possible by avoiding having to fight in the bomber planes as much as possible) so he claims insanity as means of avoiding having to fight. However, they say that he is sane, because an insane person would not request evaluation if they were aware that they are insane, so to request to be evaluated for insanity to avoid fighting as a pilot you would have to be sane, and this is their way of preventing pilots from not fighting. This leads back to the books other theme of the absurdity of war. The higher ups in power repeatedly attempt to keep pilots fighting as long as possible by increasing the number of fights that are required before you can return home, and in constantly doing this they can keep soldiers fighting. The later chapters of the book lean more into the this theme than the earlier ones, which focus more on the the paradox that ties the book together than the brutality of war. Throughout the novel we see Yossarians discontent with the war and his being forced to fight, and constantly tries to weasel his way out of the fight. It also attempts to criticize religion. There are a few instances in which Yossarian outwardly criticizes God himself. The nature of World War 2 opens his eyes to, in his morality system, the cruelty that an omnipotent deity would need to possess in order to allow Hitler and war and genocide and all the horrible things in the world to occur. The novel also is not afraid to criticize capitalism. I won't get into the exact point that makes it clear as that would be a major spoiler for the events of the novel, however I will say that the military-industrial complex plays a role in the novel, as well as the idea that the manufacturers of weapons and gear used in war have blood on their hands. So as for the theme of the novel, it is absolutely criticizes society in a beautiful, eye-opening way. As for the character of John Yossarian, he is very much believable. The world of Catch-22 seems much more dystopian than our world, as dystopian as that is. There is a lot more random acts of violence, and it seems like most people just accepted this whereas Yossarian openly criticizes it. The other characters are not as believable which i think is the intention. Yossarian is supposed to be an outlier in a chaotic, deprived world. So as absurd as other characters are, that is what the intention was and it does not feel ham-fisted, it works extremely well. The writing is also not very difficult to understand. It is a very complex story but the wording is quite simple, I would say anyone above seventh or eighth grade can understand it. I would, however, recommend a mature reader, as the story deals with extremely heavy subject matter. Overall, the book is amazing. Everyone should read it at some point as it works as a wonderful satirical critique of war and society as a whole. Even if you ignore the obvious political satire of the novel you can still enjoy it for the catch-22 in Catch-22. Overall I would rate it a 9/10. Wonderful satire and it brought the world a new logical fallacy.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
I loved this book
Catch-22 did a great job of mixing emotions, there were times when I laughed out loud and times I wanted to cry because Heller did a great job of making a dark subject light while not taking away from the fact that this is a novel about war.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com