Catch-22

How do institutions seek to control the characters? To what extent do the characters maintain their freedom?

What does Milo’s syndicate symbolize? How does this relate to the war? Cite three examples from the novel to develop an answer.

The military base traps the men in a web of circular rules and administrative tricks. If this bureaucracy is a form of purgatory, does it fit with the characters’ notions of God? Choose one character to explore with this question.

Does the novel suggest a victor in the war? Cite three examples from the novel to develop an answer.

How does Catch-22 portray Italians and their country? How does this differ from the portrayal of Americans?

To what extent can the military in Catch-22 be described as incompatible with morality?

Catch-22s are scattered throughout the novel. How do these Catch-22 paradoxes reflect the senselessness of war? To develop your answer, cite at least three of these Catches, excluding the one about mental illness.

What role do women play in Catch-22? Are they any more brutalized by the institutional powers portrayed in the novel?