Catch-22

Beloved readers,

I hope this post finds you well.  If it does not, then I am exceedingly grateful that you decided to read Whiskey Before Breakfast despite your apparent un-wellness.  You is smart, you is kind, you is important.  (Name that movie/novel in the Comments section and we'll make a big deal out of your brilliance in our next post).

In 1953, Joseph Heller began writing Catch-22.  In 1961, it was published.  In 2013, Spence finally got around to reading it.

Catch-22 centers around Captain John Yossarian, a U.S. bomber pilot during World War II.  Yossarian has completed the mandatory number of missions required for each pilot, so he is allowed to return home.  However, every time that he meets the quota of flight missions, the authorities raise the requirement, forcing him to remain in combat.  As he becomes overwhelmed by the stress and horrors of war, he finds himself a victim of Catch-22, a bureaucratic nightmare: A man is considered insane if he willingly continues to fly dangerous combat missions, but if he makes a formal request to be removed from duty, he is proven sane and therefore ineligible to be relieved.  (The phrase Catch-22 originates with this novel, i.e. a no-win situation).

The narrative itself is a chaotic patchwork of seemingly random anecdotes and stories.  The reader is introduced to a number of Yossarian's fellow pilots and comrades, and each of them deals with Catch-22 and other conflicts in humorous, ridiculous ways.

I need to make it clear that Catch-22 is absolutely hilarious.  I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times.  The dialogue is quick and witty in a sort of nonsensical way (you'll know exactly what I mean when you read it, or if you've already read it).

My favorite part of the novel occurs towards the end.  Yossarian flies another dangerous mission, and his plane is shot with anti-aircraft cannons.  When he lands, he goes back to discover that his gunner has been mortally wounded.  He tries to help him, but the gunner dies in his arms, splattering Yossarian's uniform with blood and gore.  Yossarian refuses to wear his uniform again, and he stands in line to receive a medal for bravery--completely naked.  It's a strange combination of laugh-out-loud hilarious and morbidly depressing.  You're free to draw your own conclusions.

Critics of the novel would say that it becomes extremely repetitive, Heller is a one-trick pony, the story doesn't make logical sense, etc.  I think that's missing the point.  20th century warfare was essentially the systematic destruction of human life, directed by a faceless bureaucracy that never saw the damage it caused.  The emotional and psychological consequences for the individuals at the front lines were tremendous.  The suffering was so great that Yossarian cannot decide who the "bad guys" are--himself, his authorities, or the enemy whom he is attacking.  So even though this book doesn't always make sense, that's the only reason it makes any sense at all.  The horrors of war cannot be condensed into a neat and tidy treatise.  War is moral chaos.  Catch-22 is an attempt to make sense of this chaos through humor and satire.

Also, Stephen King named Catch-22 as one of the two greatest American novels.  I probably don't need to remind you that we hold Stephen King in extremely high regard here at Whiskey Before Breakfast.  (The second great American novel is Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace.  We're working on that one.  All 1300+ pages of it.)

Writing a review about Catch-22 is like telling one of those "you had to be there" stories.  I can't really do justice to this book without actually handing it to you and making you read it.  Catch-22 is a literary experience, and a rewarding one, at that.

I love you all.  Class dismissed.

~Spence