Matt+Boling



The man in the front of the marching Nazi's is Yossarian. In the novel he acts like he's crazy and often acts as if the enemy is out to get him, which is what is going on in this picture. This insanity is often faked by him so that he has a reason to be sent home, out of the war permanently. However due to Catch-22 he is not able to achieve his goal. Catch-22 creates a situation that prevents a soldier from getting out of the war. If you're crazy enough to 'want' to fly more missions, then they'll let you fly more missions. If you say you don't want to fly missions, then you're sane because it's human nature to be afraid of things that will kill you. Since you are labeled sane then they'll make you fly more missions.

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 *  Aldridge, John W., Prof. "The Loony Horror of It All-'Catch-22' Turns 25." Editorial. 23 Oct. 1986: n. pag. //New York Times//. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. **=====

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 *  "Banned And/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century." //American Library Association//. American Library Association, n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. **=====

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 * Santillano, Vicki. "Breaking Free from Bans: Eleven Controversial Books." //Divine Caroline//. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Mar. 2013. **=====

Both the sources “Banned And/or Challenged Books from the Radcliffe Publishing Course Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century,” and “Banned Books That Shaped America,” are lists featuring common banned books in the United States. They both mention why Catch-22 was banned, and where it was banned. The only reason that I have found Catch-22 to be banned is for the fact that the book uses offensive language describing prostitutes. Catch-22 was challenged in Dallas, TX and in Snoqualmie for the same reasons. The sources reference the use of whores when describing women. The subject of prostitution is prevelent in the novel. There are instances where the main character Yossarian and several others will go to Rome to spend the night with a prostitute. Prostitution is a controversial subject, yes, however so is war, which is inevitably what Catch-22 is about. Joseph Heller is a WWII veteran, and this novel is set during the period of WWII. He was there, and he knows what happened in the daily lives of the soldiers. If he wanted to be true to the source topic, then he should include every part of a soldiers life in combat. It would make sense that soldiers resort to prostitutes to fill some void left by the war. During war, a soldier has no idea if he'll make it home alive or not, some just want to enjoy what little time they have, others just want to fill in that void that I mentioned earlier. Also, given the fact most soldiers during WWII were adult men, their vocabulary certainly would have included the word whore, and Heller's use of the word makes his depiction of war even more realistic. If Catch-22 is to be banned because of the topic of prostitution, then it might as well be banned for the fact that it brings up the subject of war, because war is also a touchy subject. Going on to the next source, “Banned in the U.S.A,” the source mentions that there was no reason given for the banning of Catch-22 in Strongsville, Ohio. Minutes from the school board meeting in Strongsville mention that the book was described as “completely sick” and “garbage.” It's interesting to read one group call a book “garbage” when the article “The Loony Horror of it All-'Catch-22' Turns 25” largely praises the book. The source “Breaking Free from Bans: Eleven Controversial Books” mentions that Catch-22 is one of her favorite novels of all times. These contrasting views lead me to wonder at the validity of the banning of the book in Strongsville, Ohio.