Book Review - Catch-22, de Joseph Heller

Summary "Catch-22" de Joseph Heller é uma obra icónica da literatura do século XX, conhecida pelo seu humor satírico e abordagem profundamente subversiva. Pas

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"Catch-22" de Joseph Heller é uma obra icónica da literatura do século XX, conhecida pelo seu humor satírico e abordagem profundamente subversiva. Passado durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial, entre 1942 e 1944, o romance foca nas experiências do piloto-bombardeiro Yossarian, um personagem que se tornou sinónimo de resistência à ilógica burocrática e à insanidade da guerra.

Yossarian vê-se preso numa situação impossível devido ao "Artigo-22", uma regra burocrática fictícia que estabelece que um piloto considerado louco pode pedir dispensa das missões de combate, mas se o fizer, prova sua sanidade (pois seria insano querer realizar tais missões) e, portanto, não pode ser dispensado. Este paradoxo central é a essência do romance, ilustrando o absurdo e a circularidade da lógica burocrática e militar.

Para Yossarian, o verdadeiro inimigo não são as forças opostas, mas sim os superiores na cadeia de comando, cujas decisões irracionais e desumanas colocam constantemente sua vida em risco. Através das peripécias de Yossarian e de outros personagens igualmente memoráveis, Heller oferece uma visão cínica e crítica das estruturas de poder e da natureza da guerra.

Além de ser um manifesto anti-guerra, "Catch-22" é uma poderosa apologia à rebelião individual contra os absurdos da sociedade. Heller explora temas como a insanidade, a mortalidade, o poder, a burocracia e a impotência do indivíduo diante de sistemas opressivos. O romance satiriza não apenas a guerra, mas também a lógica capitalista e a burocracia corporativa, refletindo as preocupações e desilusões do pós-guerra.

"Catch-22" também se destaca pela sua análise mordaz dos caracteres humanos, utilizando o humor como uma ferramenta para expor a hipocrisia, a ganância, a incompetência e a crueldade. Heller apresenta uma galeria de personagens que, cada uma à sua maneira, reflete as diversas facetas da natureza humana em tempos de conflito e crise.

O impacto de "Catch-22" na cultura popular é imenso, tendo o termo "Catch-22" entrado no léxico como sinónimo de uma situação sem saída, onde as regras são manipuladas para garantir que um resultado indesejado seja inevitável. É uma obra que continua a ser amplamente relevante, ressoando com leitores modernos através de seu olhar crítico sobre a guerra, o poder, e a resistência individual contra a irracionalidade institucionalizada.

A narrativa de Heller é caracterizada pelo seu estilo não-linear e pela repetição de eventos sob diferentes perspectivas, o que reforça a sensação de caos e absurdo que permeia a experiência de guerra dos personagens. Essa abordagem não só desafia as convenções narrativas, mas também aprofunda o impacto emocional e filosófico da história.

Em resumo, "Catch-22" é uma obra que transcende o gênero de romance de guerra. É uma exploração profunda da condição humana, uma crítica aguda das estruturas de poder e autoridade, e uma celebração do espírito humano em sua luta incansável contra a adversidade e o absurdo. Através de seu humor ácido e sua visão penetrante, Joseph Heller criou uma obra que não apenas define uma era, mas que continua a influenciar e inspirar gerações.

“There was no telling what people might find out once they felt free to ask whatever questions they wanted to.” "There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he were sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to, but if he didn't want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle." “Catch-22 did not exist, he was positive of that, but it made no difference. What did matter was that everyone thought it existed, and that was much worse, for there was no object or text to ridicule or refute, to accuse, criticize, attack, amend, hate, revile, spit at, rip to shreds, trample upon or burn up.”

“It was miraculous. It was almost no trick at all, he saw, to turn vice into virtue and slander into truth, impotence into abstinence, arrogance into humility, plunder into philanthropy, thievery into honor, blasphemy into wisdom, brutality into patriotism, and sadism into justice. Anybody could do it; it required no brains at all. It merely required no character.”

“Colonel Cargill was so awful a marketing executive that his services were much sought after by firms eager to establish losses for tax purposes. His prices were high, for failure often did not come easily. He had to start at the top and work his way down, and with sympathetic friends in Washington, losing money was no simple matter. It took months of hard work and careful misplanning. A person misplaced, disorganized, miscalculated, overlooked everything and open every loophole, and just when he thought he had it made, the government gave him a lake or a forest or an oilfield and spoiled everything. Even with such handicaps, Colonel Cargill could be relied on to run the most prosperous enterprise into the ground. He was a self-made man who owed his lack of success to nobody.”

“Men," he began his address to the officers, measuring his pauses carefully. "You're American officers. The officers of no other army in the world can make that statement. Think about it.”

“What would they do to me," he asked in confidential tones, "if I refused to fly them?" We'd probably shoot you," ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen replied. We?" Yossarian cried in surprise. "What do you mean, we? Since when are you on their side?" If you're going to be shot, whose side do you expect me to be on?" ex-P.F.C. Wintergreen retorted” “He had decided to live forever or die in the attempt.”

“What is a country? A country is a piece of land surrounded on all sides by boundaries, usually unnatural. Englishmen are dying for England, Americans are dying for America, Germans are dying for Germany, Russians are dying for Russia. There are now fifty or sixty countries fighting in this war. Surely so many countries can't all be worth dying for.”

“They're trying to kill me," Yossarian told him calmly.
No one's trying to kill you," Clevinger cried.
Then why are they shooting at me?" Yossarian asked.
They're shooting at everyone," Clevinger answered. "They're trying to kill everyone."
And what difference does that make?”

“The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he is on.”

“From now on I'm thinking only of me."

Major Danby replied indulgently with a superior smile: "But, Yossarian, suppose everyone felt that way."

"Then," said Yossarian, "I'd certainly be a damned fool to feel any other way, wouldn't I?”

“You have a morbid aversion to dying. You probably resent the fact that you're at war and might get your head blown off any second."

"I more than resent it, sir. I'm absolutely incensed."

"You have deep-seated survival anxieties. And you don't like bigots, bullies, snobs, or hypocrites. Subconsciously there are many people you hate."

"Consciously, sir, consciously," Yossarian corrected in an effort to help. "I hate them consciously."

"You're antagonistic to the idea of being robbed, exploited, degraded, humiliated, or deceived. Misery depresses you. Ignorance depresses you. Persecution depresses you. Violence depresses you. Corruption depresses you. You know, it wouldn't surprise me if you're a manic-depressive!"

"Yes, sir. Perhaps I am."

"Don't try to deny it."

"I'm not denying it, sir," said Yossarian, pleased with the miraculous rapport that finally existed between them. "I agree with all you've said.”

“The Texan turned out to be good-natured, generous and likable. In three days no one could stand him.”