Reviews

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller 1961 read by Wolfram Kandinsky banned 4

• "Luckily, the war broke out"
• Corporal Whitcomb, "was openly rude and contemptuous to the chaplain once he discovered that the chaplain would let him get away with it."

• "There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, [...] 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. [...] Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle"
If you're crazy you can leave the war, all you have to do is ask, but by asking you've just proved your sanity, so back to the battle you go. Catch-22, caught in vicious circle. Unending crazymaking in another unwinnable war.
• flak- 1 anti-aircraft guns or bursting shells fired from them 2 criticism, opposition
• War's a pitiless path to power for politicians. Pointless perishing. Former generals generally avoid it's death and destruction.
• "The pictures never came out, and Hungry Joe never got in."
Furgle is fictional, fornicating burgle.
• Yossarian, "'On the contrary,' Yossarian corrected. 'He found out how right he was."
Yossarian the contrarian.
• "In short, Clevinger was one of those people with lots of intelligence and no brains,"
• Conflict reveals character. And boy are there some characters. War brings out their worst: lies, hate, hypocrisy, paranoia, negativity, otherism, power, pride, petty grudges, etc.
• About Yossarian, "'That's just what I mean,' Dr. Stubbs answered. 'That crazy bastard may be the only sane one left.'"
• "'Why the hell not?' Yossarian snarled, arguing all the more vehemently because he suspected he was wrong.'"
• peremptory- 1 barring a right of action or delay 2 expressive of urgency or command : imperative 3 marked by arrogant self-assurance • synonyms imperious, masterful, domineering, magisterial
• "Colonel Korn answered with a reflective, self-satisfied smile." "'You know, that might be the answer - to act boastfully about something we ought to be ashamed of. That's a trick that never seems to fail.'" "'All right,' Colonel Cathcart decided. 'We'll give him a medal for being brave enough to go around over the target twice. And we'll make (Yossarian) a captain, too.'"
and getting Kraft killed.
• "and suddenly they were shooting the living shit out of him! Heavy flak was everywhere! He had been lulled, lured and trapped"
prurient- lascivious (lustful, lewd • synonyms licentious, lecherous, libidinous, salacious)
halcyon- 1 calm, peaceful 2 being a time of happiness, success or prosperity
insoucience- lighthearted unconcern
tumid- 1 swollen, distended 2 bombastic, turgid
vicissitude- an unexpected, irregular or surprising change
• Corporal Whitcomb, "was openly rude and contemptuous to the chaplain once he discovered that the chaplain would let him get away with it."
• "and the colonel (Cathcart) was certainly not going to waste his time and energy making love to beautiful women unless there was something in it for him. The colonel dreaded his dank lonely nights at his farmhouse and the dull, uneventful days. He had much more fun back at Group, browbeating everyone he wasn't afraid of."
• otiose- 1 futile 2 idle 3 useless (~ details)
lissome- 1 easily flexed 2 lithe 3 nimble
captious- marked by an inclination to find fault
boor- 1 yokel 2 a rude or insensitive person • synonyms churl, lout, clown, clodhopper,
phlegmatic- having or showing a slow and stolid temperament • synonyms impassive, apathetic, stoic
• Iniqitous old man, "'and we will certainly come out on top again if we succeed in being defeated.'"
iniquity- 1 wickedness 2 a wicked act
ebullient- 1 boiling, agitated 2 exuberant
argosy- a large merchant ship 2 fleet
inveigh- to protest or complain bitterly or vehemently : rail
spurious- not genuine : false
fustian- 1 a strong usu cotton fabric 2 pretentious writing or speech
beatific- giving or indicative of great joy or bliss
• "and the chaplain was ready now to capitulate to despair entirely but was restrained by the memory of his wife, whom he loved and missed so pathetically with such sensual and exalted ardor, and by the lifelong trust he had placed in the wisdom and justice of an immortal, omnipotent, omniscient, humane, universal, anthropomorphic, English-speaking, Anglo-Saxon, pro-American God, which had begun to waver."
• "'At least you've got a chance. You're in combat and might get killed. But what about me? I've got nothing to hope for.'"
• parturition- childbirth
• sedulous- dilgent, painstaking
• sententious- using wise sayings or proverbs; also : using pompous language
• peroration- the concluding part of a speech
incorrigible- incapable of being corrected, amended or reformed
desultory- passing aimlessly from one thing or subject to another : disconnected
• McWatt pulping and propulsing Kid Sampson with his propellor. Didn't consider consequences.
• vapid- lacking spirit, liveliness or zest : flat, insipid
• "Colonel Cathcart was so upset by the deaths of Kid Sampson and McWatt that he raised the missions to sixty-five."
• Yo-Yo, "He wished that he could be young and cheerful, too. And it wasn't their fault that they were courageous, confident and carefree."
• transmogrify- to change or alter often often with grotesque or humorous effect
dissipate- 1 to break up and drive off : disperse, scatter (the breeze ~d the fog) 2 3 4 to be dissolute; esp : to drink alcoholic beverages to excess
• obstreporous- 1 uncontrollably noisy 2 stubbornly resistant to control : unruly
• "The chaplain had mastered, in a moment of divine intuition, the handy technique of protective rationalization, and he was exhilarated by his discovery. It was miraculous. It was almost no trick at all, he saw, to turn vice into virtue and slander into truth, impotence into abstinence, arrogance into humility, plunder into philanthropy, thievery into honor, blasphemy into wisdom, brutality into patriotism, and sadism into justice. Anybody could do it; it required no brains at all. It merely required no character."
• mad gang of compatriots
• "'Why should a superior officer give you a plum tomato, Chaplain?' 'Is that why you tried to give it to Sergeant Whitcomb, Chaplain? Because it was a hot tomato?'"
• subterfuge- a trick or device used in order to conceal, escape or evade
blandishment- flattering or coaxing speech or action
• "There was no morphine in the first-aid kit, no protection for Snowden against pain but the numbing shock of the gaping wound itself. The twelve syrettes of morphine had been stolen from their case and replaced by a cleanly lettered note that said: 'What's good for M & M Enterprises is good for the country. Milo Minderbinder.'"
• Major Danby, "'Yossarian, they can prepare as many official reports as they want and choose whichever ones they need on any given occasion. Didn't you know that?'"
• "Yossarian rejected the advice with a skeptical shake of his head. 'When I look up, I see people cashing in. I don't see heaven or saints or angels. I see people cashing in on every decent impulse and every human tragedy.' 'But you must try not to think of that, too,' Major Danby insisted. 'And you must try not to let it upset you.' 'Oh, it doesn't really upset me. What does upset me, though, is that they think I'm a sucker. They think that they're smart, and that the rest of us are dumb.'"