For my last blog, I just wanted to comment one more time on the idea of satire: funny or depressing? Parts of this book were very funny. When Yossarian kept requesting fruit from the doctor to cure his liver disease, but never actually ate the fruit himself, I laughed. When the doctor talked about his former office, most infamously the story of the virgin newlyweds, I couldn’t see anything harmless except cute humor. But throughout the course of Catch-22, one of Yossarian’s only friends, and one of the sanest characters in the entire book, dies. There is nothing at all funny about this. This summer, when this book was recommended to me, I expected full, innocent humor. I was misguided. That’s why the one thing I want to say to anyone considering reading this book: you will be greatly entertained, but be prepared to be faced with deep questions concerning life, war, society and sanity.
Secondly, I think it is only fair I say one more thing about this idea of Catch-22. The idea of a no-win situation, where you are forbidden to do one thing because of how it affects the other, is one more common than we may think. If I stay up late to finish my homework, I risk falling asleep in class and missing out on precious learning time. However, if I go to bed without finishing my homework, I risk turning in an incomplete assignment. Either way I’m hurting myself and my education. (This is twice as ironic because the whole point of school is to learn, and my Catch-22 is forbidding me from doing this.) This isn’t the greatest example, but it’s one I’m sure a lot of students have faced. And it shows how this humorous concept of Catch-22 is present even in our lives today.
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4 comments:
This book reminds me of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy I just read. The transaction between very humorous and completely serious is common in satires...I guess.
Personally, if I were in your Catch-22 place, you know what I mean, I would pick the sleep now and turn in late homework.... I value my sleep!
This book sounds really intriguing. I like books that make you think about the difficult issues and question your own life. Your Catch-22 is perfect and completely true.
Haha. I like your point. I understand where you are coming from too. It is cool that you can relate this book to your life so well. Books like that are fun to read for me because I like making connections.
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