In Catch 22, Joseph Heller tells the story of a man who is dangerously sane in a dangerously insane situation. The "Catch" of the title refers to a military regulation that prohibits crazy people from flying missions, but also prohibits the medical staff judging anyone insane who has not requested that he be judged insane. Unfortunately, the wish to be judged insane merely proves a man's sanity. The 'Catch' merely depicts the general insanity (though always logical insanity, and run by the regulations) surrounding one man stationed at Ovieto airbase in Italy during World War II.
The lives and antics of such characters as Hungry Joe, Major Major Major Major, and Captain Chaplain A.T. Tappman augment the profound sadness and absurdity to be found in this book.
