Catch-22 was an interesting novel, to say the least. The typical story is chronological and authors often introduce their characters in the beginning of the novel. Mr. Joseph Heller, the author, chose to defy these unwritten guidelines. He took a risk, and it worked.
Mr. Heller jumps around in the story, manipulating time every chance he gets. I was often confused and had to reread several passages so that I understood the passage. Additionally, Heller often throws characters into the book as if he's adding ingredients to a soup. It's all very random and they get mixed into the plot very quickly. Take, for example, Milo. Milo is a major force in the black market in this book and he pops into the story at random intervals. It's almost as if Heller is trying to confuse the reader.
As for Mr. Heller's motives in writing his book in this atypical way, I believe that he did so because he wanted to "stand out of the crowd". It's a cliched phrase, but I think that was one of his main motives. I also think that his ordering of the events and chapters was symbolic. He claimed that many people in the novel were insane, so, by organizing his chapters in a puzzling way, he made a point (accidental or not) that he fell under the same category.
Despite all of the confusing and contradictory situations in the novel, I do believe that Joseph Heller's Catch-22 is worth everyone's time. It is a dense read, and it requires a lot of outside thinking, but the story has a lot of themes that are applicable to our life today. The ubiquitous humor is also a plus.
I also read Catch-22. I think something was wrong with Mr. Heller when he put this to paper. However, I thought it was hilarious and the applications to real life are there. He just found an outrageous way to make his points.
ReplyDeleteApparently Joseph Heller was an avid Communist back when he wrote the book. Since Catch-22 deals with absolute power, that does make sense, especially considering the theme.
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