Art exposes the truth with lies, and politicians cover up the truth with lies.
You must apply yourself to be a lunatic so that you don't have to attend, but those who say they are lunatic must not be crazy, so they must attend!
If it's my brother, you can stop working overtime, but if you make this request, you're not my brother, so you still have to work overtime, ninety-six!
Catch 22 was published in the United States in the 1960s. At that time, the university had one copy in hand. Author Joseph Heller is also known as "the master of black humor" because of this book. After that, Joseph Heller wrote two more books, but neither was as glamorous as Catch 22.
1. Plot and characters
The story of the novel is set on a small island west of Italy, where a U.S. air force is stationed, and their mission is to drop bombs on the enemy. The master, Convention Seren, is a bombardier. In the beginning, he was patriotic and optimistic, completing every mission positively. But as the war progressed, he became skeptical about the significance of flying.
There are two reasons for this: First, in Yossarian's brigade, Colonel Cathcart, the commander, deliberately refused to let them go for the sake of his own political achievements, forcibly raised the flight limit, and also increased the number of victims. as performance. Second, the bombing itself was not entirely in the national interest. Milo's fruit and vegetable product company even signed a contract with Germany to bomb its own brigade.
So Yossarian did everything he could to save his life: he ran for his life as soon as he dropped the bomb; deliberately unplugged the walkie-talkie to force the plane to turn back halfway; pretended to be sick; pretended to be crazy; in the end, he even refused to fly.
When feigning illness, Yossarian maliciously edited the letter because he was bored with reviewing it. It can be seen that: 1. Soldiers' family letters have no privacy; 2. Under the machine of war, family letters have become a formulaic expression.
Failed to pretend to be crazy. Because Article 22 stipulates that anyone who wants to avoid combat missions can never be really crazy.
In Rome, Yossarian also learned that Cat. 22 stipulates that those who invoke it do not have to prove that it exists.
Since there is no clear provision at all, it is irrefutable. But although it does not exist, everyone believes in its existence.
Other orders in the military that are homogenous to military regulations: Only when Major Major is gone can others come into his office to look for him; only those who never ask questions are qualified to ask questions.
Thus, it is not about war, but about personal relationships in bureaucratic power.
In this mechanism, people fall into the powerlessness of language and reasoning: "Clevinger is naturally guilty, otherwise he will not be charged. The only way to prove this is to find him guilty." "We want Charge you with crimes and illegal activities of which we are not yet aware."
In English, "Catch 22" has become a conventional expression to describe a predicament that cannot be escaped due to self-contradiction.
Yossarian roamed the streets of Rome after refusing to fly and was arrested for not having a permit. The colonel gave him two options: either go back home and speak good words for them; or go to court martial and accept sanctions.
Yossarian cherished his own life and the lives of his comrades. So in the dilemma, I chose to flee to Sweden.
Whether Yossarian died or not, the novel does not say. But the author says: Yossarian is alive; if he grows old and has to die, he will never die at my hands.
Yossarian is an ordinary man with flaws, the "anti-hero" of the novel. His suspicion and resistance to bureaucracy resonated with bewildered Americans after World War II.
2. Language and narrative
The language and narrative of the novel were the main reasons for its controversy when it was first published.
In terms of language, the author deliberately creates a feeling that seems reasonable but cannot stand scrutiny, which is homogenous with "Catch-22".
For example, "Colonel Cathcart was deeply democratic: he believed that all men were created equal, and so he despised all soldiers outside of group headquarters in the same manner."
For example, Major Major's father, specialized in alfalfa. As long as he doesn't grow alfalfa, the government pays him. The more alfalfa he doesn't grow, the more money the government gives him. So he used the money from the government to buy new land to increase the amount of alfalfa he didn't grow.
For another example, Yossarian fell in love with a prostitute, but the prostitute would not marry him. Because she felt that those who were willing to marry her were lunatics.
This confusion of language logic intuitively shows a world upside down.
Narratively, it is not a traditional linear structure, but a radioactive structure with military regulations as the center, thus causing great difficulty in reading.
But it is precisely because of this difficulty, this process of continuous recall and decoupling, that the reader's reading experience is one of active participation rather than passive acceptance, which is what Roland Barthes called "the writable text".
At the end, Yossarian is gone, but on that small island, the same mechanisms of power are still in operation, and more people are still struggling with pervasive military regulations.
As Yossarian himself said: "I looked up and saw people making money. I couldn't see heaven, saints and angels, I saw people taking advantage of every noble impulse and every human tragedy. fiscal."
This seventies movie has a strong cast, Citizen Kane, the mentally ill, Grandpa Sunshine, Midnight Cowboy, Apocalypse, Daddy Phoebe, and those beautiful Italian whores.
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