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3-3; Catch-22

Chapter Twelve

            The Bomb run is delayed because it’s raining. All the men hope that it will keep raining forever. When it stops raining Yossarian moves the maps line, and gives all the men diarrhea by poisoning the food. It starts raining again. Yossarian and a couple of other men take a joy ride in a jeep and crash it. Hungry Joe fights with Huple’s cat, because he says it gives him nightmares. They wait two weeks, nervous and scared.

            Finally, they’re going to do something other than be idiots and sit around. I don’t blame any for being scared, I would too if I had to go bomb a place and probably not survive. I guess I’ll just keep plodding on.

 

 

3-2; Catch-22

Chapter Eleven

            Now we meet Captain Black, who is extremely jealous of Major, because he’s squadron commander. He is odd enough to look forward to the deadly mission. He also starts this one League that you have to swear an oath before you do absolutely anything. But that goes up in smoke after a while because someone doesn’t sign an oath before speaking.

            This guy has problems, who in their right mind would want to be commander of this company. Right mind, I doubt he’s in his right mind, maybe that’s why he’s so determined to become Squadron Commander. Anyways, I’m getting tired of meeting people. Where’s the reason the book was written.

 

3-1; Catch-22

Chapter Ten

            Clevinger’s plane has gone missing during a mission but Yossarian believe he’s just lost. We meet Wintergreen, an ex-P.F.C., who continually goes AWOL. While digging holes with Chief he nicked a water pipe. But everyone thinks its oil, because Chiefs with him. The Colonel has volunteered the company for yet another deadly mission. But, no one can get grounded for being sick any more.

            No offense to Yossarian, but if a fighter pilot goes missing what’s the chances of him coming back alive. Although it wouldn’t surprise me if he did come back. This book is really, really, strange. I think I’ve already said that, though. Oh well its getting a little more interesting at least.

2-3; Catch-22

Chapter Nine

            Major Major Major has had problems from childhood. His father had an odd sense of humor and named him Major Major to go with his last name Major. Then because of a computer error was made a Major in the Army. Major Major Major Major is the squadron’s commander. He’s the guy signing as Washington Irving and John Milton. Yossarian demands to be discharged but Major say’s he can’t do anything about it.

            Poor Major his father must have very, very rude/odd sense of humor. All his Supervisors didn’t like him just because he happened to outrank them. And then to bout they assigned him as a squadron commander just so he wouldn’t be liked or have friends. I wish he could have sent the entire company home. It would probably save the leaders headache later.

2-2; Catch-22

Chapter Eight

            This chapter was a memory about Yossarian and Clevinger in training in America. They were under a Lieutenant Scheisskopf, who loved parades. His wife had slept with all the men under her husbands command too. Clevinger gets sent to court because the Lieutenant hates him. Clevinger couldn’t speak in his defense because he got tongue tide.

            This was at least a more interesting chapter. I understand Yossarian and Clevinger a little better. The Lieutenant’s wife is an interesting character. It wasn’t fair for Clevinger either to get sent to court just because the Lieutenant didn’t like him.

 

2-1; Catch-22

Chapter Seven

            McWatt, who is Yossarian’s pilot, is perfectly sane, but because he’s always happy Yossarian thinks he’s the craziest man in the group. Milo, the cook, tries to get Yossarian to sell the fruit he gets, but doesn’t eat for his liver, on the Black Market. Then to top everything a C.I.D. man comes and is looking for the criminal that’s been forging Washington Irving’s name in censored letters. Milo confuses Yossarian, and me, with his talk of economics’.

            These men are weird; I understand they have their little quirks and personalities. But they are crazy. The things they do aren’t little quirks they’re serious mental problems. Poor McWatt is all I can say.

1-3; Catch-22

Chapter Six

            Hungry Joe flew his missions but before his orders come the mission number is raised. Doc ignores Joe’s nightmares and just complains about losing his clinic. Someone else explains Catch-22 to Yossarian and basically says that even though by regulations he can go home, since he’s flown 40 missions, he can’t because whatever the Colonel says over rides that. So Yossarian has to fly 50 missions now.

            Catch-22 is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. It could be interpreted in so many ways. Plus I’m not sure they’ve told me exactly what it is. Everyone is just using ‘Catch-22’ as an excuse.

1-2; Catch-22

Chapter Five

            Well Catch-22 states that any man claiming insanity is instantly considered sane and must fly missions. So in other words claim insanity to go on missions. Yossarian goes on a bombing run. He's got it down to an art. Drop the bomb and run like heck.

            Catch-22 is stupid and odd. I'm quite surprised that this book was a number one bestseller. It wouldn’t be my first choice.

1-1; Catch-22

Chapter Four

            There crazy. Even the Doctor is crazy he doesn't want to be there, all he wants to do is make money. Any man with a 102 degree fever is rushed to the hospital and any man with a 101 degree fever is given a horrifying treatment. The company is required to shoot skeet eight hours a month.

            These are some of the weirdest collections of men I've ever seen. It is the weirdest and funniest story I've ever read. I don't know what else to say about it.

10-3; Catch-22

Chapter Three

            Their all CRAZY! Yossarian has a dead man in his tent, Orr is senile, and Joe is Mad! They are idiots. Yossarian just wants back in the hospital. Orr is taking everything apart and putting it back together over and over. And Hungry Joe is shooting mice with his huge gun trying to shot at Yossarian's tent, and then eating the mice. The group is mad.

            That whole group is deranged and totally unfit for military duty. How they got past the inspections and stuff is totally lost on me. I’d hate to be the only sane person in that camp.

10-2; Catch-22

Chapter Two

            Yossarian is convinced everyone is bent on killing him, because amazing enough people shot at him when he goes to bomb the enemy. And everyone but he and his friend Dunbar understand that the war is still going on. Either way Yossarian is absolutely convinced that everyone is out to get him.

            If I was his doctor I would discharge him from duty for paranoia/mental unstableness. But oh well, Yossarian’s doctor doesn’t care and just sits there and smokes. This is an increasingly odd book.

10-1; Catch-22

Chapter One

            Captain Yossarian, an American World War II Bombardier, is in the hospital with supposed Jaundice. He is lying about his illness though because he doesn't want to go into combat, and he gets good food and rest in the hospital. All the men in his ward, with a couple exceptions, are in the hospital for the same reasons as Yossarian. Yossarian 'gets' to sensor letters in the mornings. A Chaplin comes and visits them, and Yossarian likes him immediately. But one day a Texan comes into the ward and begins annoying everyone. Slowly everyone got miraculously better and was discharged.

            This will be an interesting book. Yossarian and his companions are odd and weirdly humorous. Half the time I don’t get what the joke was or why it was funny in the first place.  I don’t see where the story is going but I have 41 chapters left so I guess something has to happen.

 

Author

About the Author; Joseph Heller

            He was born in Brooklyn in 1923 and grew up on Coney Island. At the outbreak of World War II, he worked first in a navy yard and then enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces, training at bases in South Carolina before flying sixty missions as bombardier in B-25s in North Africa and Italy. After the War he went through college and graduate study at the University of Southern California, New York University (B.A. 1948), Columbia (M.A. 1949), and Oxford (Fulbright Scholar, 1949-50). During this time he began to publish short fiction. Two years of teaching composition at Penn State followed, till in 1952 he returned to New York as a writer in advertising

In the early 1980s, Heller became first paralyzed and then seriously weakened by a deadly nerve disease, Guillain-Barre Syndrome. Mr. Heller's literary achievement brought numerous awards, including the University of South Carolina's Thomas Cooper Medal in 1996. Mr. Heller died on December 12, 1999.