Catch-22 is a law defined in various ways throughout the novel. First, Yossarian discovers that it is possible to

be discharged from military service because of insanity. Always looking for a way out, Yossarian claims that he

is insane, only to find out that by claiming that he is insane he has proved that he is obviously sane—since any

sane person would claim that he or she is insane in order to avoid flying bombing missions.

In short, Catch-22 is any paradoxical, circular reasoning that catches its victim in its illogic and serves those

who have made the law. Catch-22 can be found in the novel not only where it is explicitly defined but also

throughout the characters’ stories, which are full of catches and instances of circular reasoning that trap some

people. As Yossarian struggles to stay alive, a number of secondary stories unfold around him. A subplot

shows his friend Nately falling in love with a whore from Rome and woos (corteggia) her constantly, despite

her indifference. Another subplot follows the rise of the black-market empire of Milo Minderbinder, the

squadron’s mess hall officer. Milo runs a syndicate in which he borrows military planes and pilots to transport

food between various points in Europe, making a massive profit from his sales.

The novel draws to a close as Yossarian, troubled by Nately’s death,

refuses to fly any more missions. He wanders the streets of Rome,

encountering every kind of human horror - rape, disease, murder.

He is eventually arrested for being in Rome without a pass, and his

superior officers, Colonel Cathcart and Colonel Korn, offer him a

choice. He can either face a court-martial or be released and sent

home with an honorable discharge. There is only one condition: in

order to be released, he must approve of Cathcart and Korn and

state his support for their policy, which requires all the men in the

squadron to fly eighty missions.

Although he is tempted by the offer, Yossarian realizes that to

accept would be to endanger the lives of other innocent men.

He chooses another way out, deciding to desert the army and

flee to neutral Sweden. In doing so, he turns his back on the

dehumanizing machinery of the military (forze armate), rejects

the rule of Catch-22, and fights to gain control of his own life.