542 Heller, Joseph
one’s own 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 . . . Yos-
sarian was moved very deeply by the absolute
simplicity of this clause of Catch-22.Catch-22 imprisons Yossarian through his own
rationality. Yossarian’s recognition of the insanity of
his predicament proves his sanity.
Yossarian battles not only Catch-22, but also
Colonel Cathcart, his commanding officer. Cathcart
is a cowardly hero. An officer devoted to duty, coun-
try, and winning the war would not normally invite
admonition; however, whereas Yossarian is driven by
self-preservation, Cathcart is driven by self-promo-
tion. He wants to receive a promotion to general. He
is unconcerned with the mental or physical welfare
of his men, and seeks only fame and glory in his
petulant drive for career advancement. To achieve
his goal, he volunteers his squadron for only the
most dangerous missions, increasing the unit’s med-
als and citations; he cares little about completing a
successful mission and more about collecting great
aerial photographs of bombing runs, and continu-
ally raises the number of missions required of the
squadron before any member is permitted an honor-
able discharge.
Whenever Yossarian nears the magic number,
Cathcart raises the mission total and Yossarian’s
subsequent refusal to fly into danger in perpetuity
keeps him in the air. Every mission Yossarian flies
increases the likelihood of his death, and he soon
realizes Cathcart will never allow him to achieve his
discharge through the bureaucratic system, which
forces Yossarian to become inventive in order to skirt
the letter of Catch-22 in order to survive.
Yossarian’s refusal to fly any more missions
affects the unit’s morale: “Morale was deteriorating
and it was all Yossarian’s fault. The country was in
peril; he was jeopardizing his traditional rights of
freedom and democracy by daring to exercise them.”
Cathcart attempts to bribe Yossarian, promising to
send him home if he agrees to “like” the colonel and
not tell the squadron that he is being sent home
as a result of his defiance. Also, Yossarian will be
promoted, given another medal for valor, and hailed
as a “hero” back in the States. Cathcart hopes that
Yossarian’s “heroics” will inspire the men to fly
more missions, amplifying the colonel’s chances for
promotion.
Yossarian flirts with the idea, but ultimately
rejects the colonel’s offer. To surrender his beliefs
would be a capitulation to Cathcart, and a victory
for the proprietors of the army bureaucracy and the
creators and enforcers of Catch-22. He says,I’ve flown over seventy goddam combat mis-
sions. Don’t talk to me about fighting to
save my country. I’ve been fighting all along
to save my country. Now I’m going to fight
a little to save myself. The country’s not in
danger anymore, but I am, . . .. . . The Germans will be beaten in a
few months. And Japan will be beaten a few
months after that. If I were to give up my life
now, it wouldn’t be for my country. It would
be for Cathcart. So I’m turning my bomb-
sight in for the duration.
Cornered, unable to outwit the system, Yossarian
comes to understand that his only true option is to
run away. Yossarian displays the courage necessary
to defy his commander, his army, and his country
in order to save his own life. Yossarian flees Pianosa
to Sweden. His most heroic action is this desertion.
Catch-22 finds heroism in cowardice. The insan-
ity of war compels men and women to act to achieve
contradictory ends and relinquish individuality to
preserve independence. They must kill in order to
save. Yossarian’s desertion is justified because in the
end there are no heroes or cowards, nor saints or sin-
ners, there are only men, fighting for the most funda-
mental of human values, not for any idealistic notions
of independence and patriotism, but for life itself.
After all, survival is the one true heroic act of war.
Drew McLaughlinreliGion in Catch-22
In times of war, soldiers may turn to their faith to
cope with the horrors they see and the deaths of
their closest brothers-in-arms. Catch-22 examines