Life is a chance, and the novel CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller shows over and over again just how much of a dice roll it is. ... The cliché "catch-22- itself is derived from the book. ... However, there is a catch, a "catch-22,"" which is that any man who asks to leave is clearly not crazy. ... Masters adds that: Few would argue that Catch-22 realistically depicts World War II or the time since then, but few would disagree that Heller has illustratively captured an aspect of American society that haunts and resonates within all people. ... But by the end of the novel, Orr's c...

• Word Count: 2168
• Approx Pages: 9
• Grade Level: High School

In Catch 22 we begin when Yossarian (main character) has already been in the war for some time but is still very much afraid and wants desperately to live and to go home. ... In Catch 22 Yossarian is beginning to lose his mind a little. ... In Catch 22 Yossarian goes AWOL meaning he simply runs away. ... The difference between the novels is that whereas in Catch 22 the main character continues to be afraid and goes mad and tries a sure deadly task just to escape. ... A huge difference in them is that Catch 22 is actually a comedy and satirizes the war. ...

• Word Count: 1371
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

(Beatty, p. 211) These situations are examined and brought to our attention in Joseph Heller's novel, Catch-22. The main character, Yossarian, does not want to fly but is met with a "catch 22", which can be seen as a stumbling block to reason and even free will. ... Rules such as catch 22 were simply unfair, and there was no way around it. ... He figures out a way to beat the system and escape the catch-22 by acting like a simpleton for the entire story. ... (Heller p. 110) This paradoxical evaluation is what Catch 22 is all about. ...

• Word Count: 1784
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School