The
Fairfax Library Book Discussion Group will meet Thursday, June 11th at 7 p.m.
to discuss our June book Catch-22
by Joseph Heller.
Discussion
questions are below.
Here
are some links for additional background and information:
Author
Interview by George Plimpton in the Paris Review
TV Interview (with
Michael Douglas, Jane Fonda and Jack Lemmon on the couch)
Coming
up, we have the following books to look forward to reading:
No book group in July
– happy summer!
Thurs.
Aug 13 The
Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
Thurs.
Sept. 10 Salvage
the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Thanks
for reading with us. I look forward to seeing you at the Fairfax Library.
Beth Bailey-Gates
Friends
of the Fairfax Library
Discussion Questions
Catch-22 by Joseph
Heller
1. A complex, chaotic structure makes the novel difficult to follow. How might this structure parallel, represent, and/or elevate themes in the story? How does Heller piece together the chronology of events?
2. Heller’s dialogue style is reminiscent of Abbott and
Costello’s “Who’s on First?” comic routine of the 1940s. How does Heller use
this back-and-forth disorderly logic to develop character?
3. Chapters tend to be named for individuals in the story;
however, titles are deceptive because they tend to be about other characters.
Why might Heller have named chapters after one character but have written them
about another?
4. Yossarian shares a tent with a “dead man.” What role does
this mysterious character play?
5. Chief White Halfoat is illiterate, yet he is assigned to
military intelligence. Identify and discuss other examples of Heller’s cynicism
toward the government and/or other institutions.
6. Choose a poignant passage/scene. How does Heller make this
passage/scene work (e.g., how does he evoke emotion in the reader)?
7. Of the multiple characters in the story, which are you
drawn to the most? Why? Are there any completely moral characters in the story?
Explain.
9. Both Captain Wren and Captain Piltchard are described as
“mild” and “soft-spoken” officers, and they love the war. Why might their
personalities be fitting for someone who loves the war?
10. Yossarian returns to the hospital several times. What
role do the hospital settings play in the story? In what way might the hospital
settings foil the bombing/war scenes? In what way might they be reflective
times for Yossarian? For other characters?
11. Compare and contrast Colonel Cathcart and Colonel Korn.
Are they both hypocrites? Why or why not?
12. Circumstances surrounding Snowden’s death are revealed
slowly. What does his death mean to Yossarian? To others?
13. Discuss the significance of déjà vu in the story and how
it relates to religious faith.
14. While much of the novel is military satire, the story
does delve into the private sector. How might Mrs. Daneeka be a satirical
character?
15. One of the ironies of the story occurs at the end in
which Yossarian has an opportunity to go home a hero. In essence, he has the
system in a Catch-22. Explain.
16. Discuss whether the ending of Catch-22 is uplifting or downbeat. Is it a
victory or a defeat?
17. Most of the characters in Catch-22 are over-the-top in the sense that, in
many ways, they are caricatures of themselves. What must Heller have known
about humanity to make them all so recognizable?
18. What do you believe is Heller’s view of a capitalistic
society?
19. Is Catch-22 a comic novel or a story of morality?
Explain.
20. What does Catch-22 say about war? How does it differ from
other war stories?
21. Discuss the literary significance of Catch-22 and its relevance in the twenty-first
century.
22. How does Catch-22 compare to other war stories you have
read? How does it compare to other satires
23. How might Catch-22 be described as an allegory?
24. Discuss how the novel can be described as a struggle
between the individual and an institution.
25. Discuss the meaning of sanity as it applies to the story.
26. Throughout the novel, the idea of Catch-22 is explained
in a number of ways. What are some of them? Do any of them represent the real
Catch-22, or are they all simply examples of a larger abstract idea? If
Catch-22 is an abstract concept, which explanation comes closest to it?
27. Discuss Milo. Does the fact that he seems to exist outside military authority make him a
positive figure or a negative one?
28. What role do women play in Catch-22?
29. Think about chronology in the novel. How does the
disordered, tangential presentation of events affect the flow of the story?
What devices does Heller employ to allow the reader to piece together the order
of events? What kind of unified narrative, if any, ultimately emerges? What
does this portrayal say about the idea of time in Catch-22?
30. Discuss the chaplain. How does his religious faith
develop and change as the story progresses? What does his timidity say about
the power of moral absolutes in the world of the military? What is the
significance of his sensation of déjà vu?
31. Think about the novel’s use of setting and scene. What
effect do the rapid shifts between the base and the hospital, or between
Pianosa and Rome, have on the presentation of the story? What does each
location seem to represent?
