The only freedom we really have

is the freedom to say no.

 

Heller makes you work for understanding; he says of Catch-22,

“My objective is not merely to tell the reader a story but to make him a participant—to have him experience the book rather than read it.”

 

Things to look for:

·        Figure out the timeline for the plot; the novel is told in a non-sequential order.  What is the author’s purpose in doing so?

·        Representations of greed, guilt, and confusion.  All of which are tied to the strengths and weaknesses of PRIDE.

·        Consider the techniques of satire, repetition, wordplay, and style

 

A PDF file of the text  provided by hudsoncress.org

 

Reading guidance

This is not meant to give you answers or help you understand plot but to consider how each chapter works to build the novel as a whole.

 

Reading Questions 

This is relatively detailed and includes plot related questions in addition to “thinking” questions; unfortunately page numbers do not necessarily match your book.

 

Names within the novel

 

Humor in writing 

 

Catch-22

Explanation of the term, logical foundations, and examples

 

Luciana and catch-22  

 

Loyalty Oath Samples   

 

An image of the bombardier’s controls  

 

Images of the B25; one, two, three, cross-section 

 

Map of the Italian bomber flights  

 

Timeline blank

 

Timeline  NEW

Timeline w/ deaths only  NEW

 

A list of deaths and the chapters in which they are found  NEW

 

The passage related to Snowden’s death  NEW

 

Why not Catch-21?