The End Of The Catch!

As the book ends it is finally explained what Catch-22 is after all. Catch-22 is nothing but a rule that doesn't exist that allow the superiors in the army to pretty much do whatever they want to their subordinates.

Yossarian finally proves his heroism. He manages to get away from flying missions by going against the generals' rules, and even after being bribed by the generals - he would be promoted to major and all he had to do was support the generals and he could finally go home- he felt as if he would be betraying his dead friends if he accepted the bribe.

Yossarian is a hero because, not only he fought to protect his country in a war, but he also shows a lot of character, loyalty and dignity in his action. He also goes against his superiors to protect what he thinks is right.

He also seemed a little more resistent than a "regular Joe", he got stabbed so many times by Nately's whore and he still managed to survive.

"Who Else Will Go?"

"I'm nuts. Cuckoo. Don't you understand? I'm off my rocker. They sent someone else home in my place by mistake. They've got a licensed psychiatrist up at the hospital who examined me, and that was his verdict. I'm really insane."
"So?"
"'So'? Yossarian was puzzled by Doc Daneeka's inability to comprehend. 'Don't you see what that means? Now you can take me off combat duty and send me home. They're not going to send a crazy man out to be killed, are they?'"
"Who else will go?" (315)

Doc Daneeka raises a good point in this passage, if the crazy men are sent home who will fight? Being in a war is already enough to make someone insane, and if these people are sent home, like A. Fortiori was instead of Yossarian, sane people are going to be sent to war to replace the insane, and then become insane.

I believe that wars shouldn't even be started in the first place. But if there is no way out, don't send the people who are in the war back home just because they are mentally affected by it. Everyone who goes to war is mentally affected so if they are replace there will be more and more people going crazy. It is a sad thought but the best is to keep the mentally affected fighting until they die or the war is over.

Yossarian doesn't realize it, but his wish to get out of war has made him insane, and Doc Daneeka is one of the few that realize that they can't be sent home.

Psychologically Disabled

Yossarian is definately psychologically disabled. He still has qualities of a hero but the war images that stuck to his mind completely changed him. He showed up completely naked to his medal ceremony because he refused to wear a uniform after Snowden died in his arms and bled all over his clothes. This psychological problems can cast a shadow over hero-like qualities. In today's society, we could never accept a person as a hero or heroine if he or she did something considered obscene or wrong to society's eyes. We usually label people's actions without having any background information on why a person would do such thing. Such behavior may be a cry for help. A hero trying to come out of a shell created by past events and experiences that turns them into something they are not, even if such thing only lasts for a moment.

The love of Heroes

We have already witnessed in "The Three Musketeers" the fact that heroes have a tendency of falling in love very easily. D'Artagnan felt great affection for three different women throughout the story and this kept leading him to more trouble. With Yossarian it is not different. He had just met Luciana, an Italian woman, and he "falls in love" with her. The difference in this situation though is that Yossarian has witnessed nothing but death and sorrow for the past weeks. So, for Yossarian any sign of affection shown by a person of the opposite sex can make him fall in love.

Luciana also shows Yossarian a scar of when the Americans bombed her hometown. This event makes him even more eager to leave the war and feel remorse for being part of something horrible that not only killed many innocent people but also hurt a loved one.

Luciana then parts, and they don't see each other again. Even though they only saw each other for two days, she touched Yossarian's heart. He felt good feelings that only a hero could have felt.