Catch-22: insanity

Quote from page 14:

Insanity is contagious. This is the only sane ward in the whole hospital. Everybody is crazy but us. This is probably the only sane ward in the whole world for that matter.

This novel itself is insane! Everyone believes everyone else is crazy, and they all do things that point to insanity. However, most of the characters tend to call Yossarian the craziest one. Indeed, he does some crazy things, like receiving his medal completely naked, but some of the things he says make more sense that anything anyone else says. He's the only one who truly complains about Colonel Cathcart raising the required number of missions, and he's the only one who takes direct action to make sure he stays alive. He is the most insane of all the characters, yet he is the only one who makes sense. He reminds me of Emily Dickinson's poem "Much Madness is Divinest Sense". This novel is so paradoxical. While there are parts that are so nonsensical that I had to laugh, there are other parts that made me set the book down and say "Whoa".

Until Next Time,
Alysse