“Catch-22” and the caprices of bureaucracy
Joseph Heller’s comic war novel resonates anew during the pandemic
AT THE BEGINNING of “Catch-22” Captain Yossarian vows “to live forever or die in the attempt”. Though the odds are stacked against him, he tirelessly resists anyone and everything that wants to kill him. This broad category includes the German army, his own commanders with their dangerous missions and even the cells in his body, because “every one was a potential traitor and foe”.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline “There’s always a catch”
From the July 25th 2020 edition
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