Scribez

I shall refrain from degrading this book by actually reviewing it. This is perhaps one of the most important books I’ve read all my life. One of those few books that I connneceted with on a deeper level (I don’t normally sound like this) and definetly one of those books that depressed me.

Yossarin (the protagonist) will forever go down in history as the ultimate anti establishement hero. The story follows this WWI fighter pilot’s attempts to get grounded because he sees that the war is simply absurd and that people he hasn’t even met are trying to kill him. However he can’t get grounded because of Catch 22.

There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.

“That’s some catch, that Catch-22,” he [Yossarian] observed.

“It’s the best there is,” Doc Daneeka agreed.

 The main theme of the book is the absurdity of living one’s life according to the rules and philosophies laid down by society, governement, friends, love and family. Yossarin is a dangerously sane man in a clearly insane world.

The writing is simply superb and each line is clever and reeks of black humor at it’s best.

I just regret the fact that I got to read this so late. Along with Catcher in the Rye, this is one of my favourite contemprory classics.

Anything worth living for is worth dying for.

Anything worth dying for is worth living for.

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