The-Book-Report-catch22-《第二十二条军规》读书报告

ContemplationinInsanity——abookreportofCatch-22IfGodcandoanything,canHemakeastonesoheavythatHewon’tbeabletolifeit?Aslongasyouthinkforamoment,you’llfindthisquestionunanswerable.Youmayconsiderthisfamousfallacyaclevertrickbutwhatifyouliterallybelieveinit?Whatifpeoplefightfortheirbeliefinaninsanestatement?YoucanfindtheanswerinCatch-22byJosephHeller.ThePlot:DuringthesecondhalfofWorldWarII,asoldiernamedYossarianisstationedwithhisAirForcesquadronontheislandofPianosa.Allhewantsistosurvivethemadnessofwar.Heisconvincedthateveryoneistryingtokillhim,whichisunderstandableseeingashowhe’sfightinginawar,whereeveryonereallyistryingtokillanother.Yossarianhastosurvivethedangerouscombatmissionsheflies,whileColonelCathcartcontinuestoincreasethenumberofmissionshiemenmustcomplete.Thenoveldoesnotflowinchronologicalorder,butinsteadinvolvefrequentflashbacks.Thereforeitmaybeconfusingandsoiswar.Thefirstpartconcentratesonthenarrativepresent,thesecondpartontheGreatBigSiegeofBologna,thethirdpartreturnstothepresent,thefourthpartcentersonMilo’sactions,andfinallyonYossarian’sescapefromthemilitary.ManyofYossarian’sactionsareeitherinresponsetothedeathofafellowsoldier,orasatactictoavoidflyingdangerousmissions.TheAirForceadministration’saction,onthecontrary,arebasedonimprovingtheranksoftheindividualofficersormakingAmericalookgoodinthewar.WhatwecometohateaboutmilitarybureaucracyaswereadCatch-22isitslackoflogic;menareaskedtorisktheirlivesagainandagainforreasonsthatareutterlyillogicalandunimportant.ThenovelendsonanupbeatnotewithYossarianlearningofOrr(hisfriend)’smiraculousescapetoSwedenandYossarian’spledgetofollowhimthere.Hesuccessfullystayssaneandaliveinthefaceofunfathomabledangerandcoldbureaucraticinsensitivity.TheCharacters:CaptainJohnYossarian.JohnYossarian,theprotagonistofCatch-22,isbothamemberofthesquadron’scommunityandalienatedbyit.Althoughhefliesandliveswiththemen,heismarkedasanoutsiderbythefactthatmanyofthementhinkheisinsane.ButYossarian’scharacteristicsarenotthoseofatypicalhero.Hedoesnotriskhislifetosaveothers;infact,hisprimarygoalthroughoutthenovelistoavoidriskinghislifewheneverpossible.MaybeitisbecausethatthesystemofvaluesaroundYossarianissoskewedthatthisapproachseemstobetheonlytrulymoralstancehecantake,ifonlybecauseitissological.Inaworldwherelifeitselfissoundervaluedandsocasuallylost,itispossibletoredefineheroismassimpleself-preservation.Intheend,whenofferedachoicebetweenhisownsafetyandthesafetyoftheentiresquadron,Yossarianisunabletochoosehimselfoverothers.Thisconcernforotherscomplicatesthesimplelogicofself-preservation,andcreatesitsownCatch-22:lifeisnotworthlivingwithoutamoralconcernforthewell-beingofothers,butamoralconcernforthewell-beingofothersendangersone’slife.MiloMinderbinder.Representinganextremeversionofcapitalistfreeenterprisethathasspiraledoutofcontrol,Miloseemssimultaneouslybrilliantandinsane.Whatstartsoutasabusinessinblack-marketeggsturnsintoaworldwideenterpriseinwhich,heclaims,“everyonehasashare.”Helies,cheatsandstealshiswaythroughthewar.TheGermanspayhimtobombhisownbaseandtheAmericanspayhimtobombGermans.Heusesmilitaryplanestoflyhisgoodsfromplacetoplace,andlivesinpalaces.Milotellsthemeninhissquadronthattheyallhaveashareofhisprofits,buthebombshisownsquadronaspartofadealhehasmadewiththeGermans.Hiswillingnesstoallowhisowncamptobebombedshowshiscompletedisregardforthesidesdrawnbythewar,andthemen’sacceptanceofpaymentforbeingbombedshowsthatMiloisnotaloneinplacingahighvalueonmakingmoney.TheThemesandIdeas:Catch-22.There’sonlyonecatchtoYossarian’splantosavehimself,andthat’sCatch-22.ThispassagefromChapter5marksthenovel’sfirstmentionoftheparadoxicallawcalled“Catch-22.”TherewasonlyonecatchandthatwasCatch-22,whichspecifiedthataconcernforone’sownsafetyinthefaceofdangersthatwererealandimmediatewastheprocessofarationalmind.Orrwascrazyandcouldbegrounded.Allhehadtodowasask;andassoonashedid,hewouldnolongerbecrazyandwouldhavetoflymoremissions.Orrwouldbecrazytoflymoremissionsandsaneifhedidn’t,butifhewassanehewouldhavetoflythem.Ifheflewthemhewascrazyanddidn’thaveto;butifhedidn'twanttohewassaneandhadto.YossarianwasmovedverydeeplybytheabsolutesimplicityofthisclauseofCatch-22andletoutarespectfulwhistle.“That’ssomecatch,thatCatch-22,”heobserved.“It’sthebestthereis,”DocDaneekaagreed.ThemoreYossarianlearnsaboutCatch-22,though,thebiggeritgrows,eachnewclauseasinfuriatingandparadoxicalasthelast.Catch-22,welearn,istheBibleofbureaucracy—everypointlessandpettyregulationmadebysomeonewhohasneverseenabattlefieldtomakethemselveslookgoodwithnosleeplostforthepeoplelikeYossarianwhogetkilledintheprocess.There’snoreasoningorarguingwithCatch-22.It’snotpersonal.It’sjusttherules,andiftherulessaythatYossarianhastodie,thenthat’swhatYossarianhastodo.Overthecourseofthenovel,Catch-22isdescribedinanumberofdifferentwaysthatcanbeappliedtoanumberofdifferentaspectsofwartimelife;here,however,Catch-22affectsYossarianmostspecifically.Catch-22isalarminglypersuasive;evenYossarianacceptswhatseemstobeitslogicalinfallibility.ButCatch-22isanabstractthing;wefindoutlaterthatYossarianbelievesthatCatch-22doesnotreallyexist.Itisatrapmadeupofwords,andwordsarefaultythings,oftenmisrepresentingreality.WhatissoupsettingaboutthewayCatch-22isappliedthroughoutthenovelisthatrealmenaresentintorealperilbasedonafewunrealandunreliablewords.ThethepointlessnessofthefactmakesYossariancrazy.Personalityintheinsaneworld.Unlikeotheranti-romanticwarnovels,Catch-22reliesheavilyonhumortoconveytheinsanityofwar,presentingthehorriblemeaninglessnessofarmedconflictthroughakindofdesperateabsurdityratherthanthroughgraphicdepictionsofsufferingandviolence.Catch-22alsodistinguishesitselffromotheranti-romanticwarnovelsthroughitscorevalues:thestoryofYossarian,theprotagonist,isultimatelynotoneofdespairbutoneofhope.Hebelievesthatthepositiveurgetoliveandtobefreecanredeemtheindividualfromthedehumanizingmachineryofwar.Thenovelistoldasaseriesoflooselyrelated,tangentialstoriesinnoparticularchronologicalorder.Thenarrativethatemergesfromthisstructuraltangleupholdsthevalueoftheindividualinthefaceoftheimpersonal,collectivemilitarymass;ateverystageitmocksinsincerityandhypocrisy,evenwhensuchvaluesappeartriumphant.DespiteitsWorldWarIIsetting,Catch-22isoftenthoughtofasasignaturenovelofthe1960sand1970s.ItwasduringthosedecadesthatAmericanyouthtrulybegantoquestionauthority.Hippies,universityprotests,andthecivilrightsmovementallmarkedthe1960sasadecadeofrevolution,andHeller’snovelfitinp