Catch 22 Commentary

In “Looking Back at Catch-22”, Norman Podhoretz reflects on reactions to and interpretations of Joseph Heller’s novel since it was first released in the early 1960s. Placing Catch-22 in a historical context, he explains why American public’s view of the novel has changed over time. Additionally, he provides his own interpretation of the novel’s theme-- that no country is worth dying for. Overall, I do believe that this article would be useful if included in a textbook on Catch-22, as it provides very interesting information on the public’s reaction to the novel, and how this may have changed its interpretation over the years. Podhoretz’ work would also be helpful for students to read because it provides a possible overarching theme for Catch-22, …show more content…
Podhoretz’s description of historical context leaves many prominent questions still open for debate, which students would be forced to explore. For example, how today’s societal debates will affect present interpretations of Catch-22? At the moment, with more troops soon being sent to the Middle East to fight in America’s longest running war yet, how will the people of this generation handle a book that is so anti-war? At Podhoretz’s involvement of such topics, students would be compelled to consider such problems. This article would also help in a textbook explaining Catch-22, as Podhoretz’s description of one of the novel’s themes-- nationalism and love of a country being pointless-- may make some moments in the novel clearer. For example, this may aid in explaining characters such as the old man who lives in the Roman whorehouse Yossarian frequents. Insisting to Nately that it is better to “live on one’s feet than to die on one’s knees” (Heller 247), the old man tells Nately that the willingness to die for a country is silly and that he should instead focus on self-preservation. When Nately refuses to listen to him, the old man questions whether Nately will survive the war (247). To little surprise, he does