Catch-22

= Catch 22 =

First Section (Ch 1-12)
Story is fragmented between characters; however, it is chronological.

Second Section (Ch 12-20)
The second section tells the story of the “Great Big Siege of Bologna.”

Third Section (Ch 20-25)
The narrative returns back to the present (1943).

Fourth Section (Ch 25-28)
Flash back to the origins of Milo’s syndicate.

Fifth Section (28-32)
The narrative once again returns to the present (1943).

Sixth Section (32-end)
Remains in the present, but the novel takes a darker turn focusing on the brutal nature of war.

Yossarian
The protagonist of the novel. He is a Captain in the Air Force and has a great will to live. His continued attempts at survival anger many of his upper levels and create the main theme and idea of the novel.

Milo Minderbinder
Creator of Milo’s Syndicate, an international black market syndicate. He is the mess officer and takes his job seriously. Milo’s ambition leads to the bombing of his own squadron. He often promotes the syndicate by saying “everyone has a share”

Doc Daneeka
The medical officer of Yossarian’s company. He is the first to explain the Catch-22 to Yossarian. Daneeka does not care for his patients and feels sorry for himself because he was taken away from his profitable private practice.

Major Major Major Major
The epitome of mediocrity. He is often awkward and lonely and refuses to see people in his office when he is there.

Orr
Yossarian’s roommate. Although he infuriates Yossarian, dramatically improves the tent in which they live. His plane often gets destroyed but he always survives.

Captain Aardvark
Captain Aardvark(Aarfy) is the navigator of Yossarian's plane. He frequently gets lost and he is oblivious to incoming flak.

Colonel Cathcart
Group commander at the U.S. Army Air Corps base in Pianosa. He is obsessed with becoming a general and will do whatever it takes to please his superiors. He repeatedly raises the number of missions the men must fly to complete their tour of duty.

Lieutenant Nately
Nately, who comes from a wealthy family, originally enlisted to serve in the Air Corps because his family thought the war would be over before he had to fight. His contribution to the novel is his involvement with a whore, named Nately's Whore.

Snowden
Snowden is a part of Yossarian's flight crew. His gruesome death changes Yossarian and it's effects become more noticeable as the story progresses. At first, Snowden's death is only referenced to in small pieces in later portions of the novel, his death is slowly revealed.

Settings
The novel's setting is the fictional island of Pianosa. The story takes place at the end of WWII around 1944. Rome serves as the resting spot for off-duty aviators. The two setting can be seen as opposites of each other. While the island serves as a location for comedic and farfetched story telling, the city accomplishes quite the opposite. It thrusts Yossarian and the other soldiers into situations all too realistic, complete with prostitution and murder.

Chocolate Covered Cotton
Milo's inventive way of selling excess cotton. It reflects the bureaucracy of a enticing exterior hiding a disgusting interior.

Snowden's Guts
On first look, Snowden does not appear seriously injured, but his mortality is revealed when Yossarian turns Snowden over which reveals bowels extruding from the belly. Snowden continuously repeats, "I'm cold, I'm cold" while Yossarian can only reply, "There, there." This haunts Yossarian throughout the entire novel.

Soldier in White
Completely bandage-wrapped soldier with no name. He represents the way the army treats men as interchangeable objects. He is replaced by another identical 'Solder in White' months after his death and everyone assumes it is the same person.

Aerial Photographs
Used to dehumanize the acts of war. When the soldiers find that their bombing runs are supposedly used to create aesthetically pleasing photography, they try harder to properly place their bombs.

M&M Enterprises
Milo names his syndicate M&M Enterprises to show that there is more than one leader making it more appealing to people. M&M Enterprises is used to indicate the power of business and capitalism. When questioned about the syndicate, Yossarian says "The government's business is business."

Snowden's Guts
On first look, Snowden does not appear seriously injured, but his mortality is revealed when Yossarian turns Snowden over which reveals bowels extruding the belly.

Key Themes
The overwhelming power and absurdity of government is shown throughout the novel. Men in Yossarian’s company realize that their continued missions are useless after the Allies have effectively won the war, but the bureaucracy has turned a blind eye to their plight. Characters in positions of power, for example Doc Daneeka and Major Major are found committing absurd acts. All appointments are made when Major Major has conveniently left his office, and Doc will not ground anyone sane enough to ask, hence the idea of a catch-22.
 * Power of Government**

Loss of Faith
Yossarian claims to be an atheist because he believes that god is a bumbling fool. He cannot believe in a god who would create so much pain and death. However, he does believe in morality, but it is up to the individuals to create his own morals. The chaplain also begins to question his faith by the end of the book due to Cathcart's constant attempts to use religion to further his ambition

Key Structural Elements
Most of the text does not follow a coherent chronology. Not until the end of the novel does the reader understand the full plot line and can thus piece toghether the parts explained throughout.