What EXACTLY is the original catch 22 situation?

Question

I know it`s a book by Joseph Heller.

I know it`s about a pilot claiming to be mad.

I know the dictionary defintion of a catch 22 situation.

But why catch 22?

What does it mean?

Answer 1

The original catch-22 according to Heller is (paraphrase) If you are insane, you are excused from flying further combat missions--but if you do not want to fly anymore combat missions you are, by definition, sane.

Quote:  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 was 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.

Answer 2

Catch-22 is a situation repeated throughout the course of Heller's novel. There are many instances, and the other responders have come up with them. There is no one situation.

The number 22, however, is of some interest. Heller originally called the book _Catch 18._ However, Leon Uris's novel _Mila 18_ was appearing around the same time, so he and his publishers decided to change 18 to 22. "Besides," Heller used to explain, "twenty-two is a funnier number."

I miss this man.

Answer 3

It was just a word that Heller coined up. It was originally different numbers, but they were changed twice because of the number meanings of it meaning different things [jewish meaning/oceans 11 movie], so Heller settled on Catch-22 (as opposed to 18 and 11).

He chose the name because it was the perfect expression of bulls*it bureaucratic logic.