Yossarian struggles to stay sane as he becomes increasingly disturbed by the corruption and self-serving carelessness of his commanding officers and the absurdities and horrors of war. All the while, more of his friends and acquaintances are killed, and he continues to make fruitless efforts to be relieved of duty. He receives a medal after bombing a bridge, despite making a grave error that leads to the death of one of his fellow airmen.

He also joins volunteer mess officer Milo Minderbinder on his absurdly capitalist trips around the globe. He falls in love with many of his sexual partners, most notably Luciana - a woman he meets while on leave in Rome and to whom he proposes but is rejected - and Nurse Duckett. Yossarian is a willing participant in his colleagues’ drunken and sexual escapades, which often turn violent. Once in Pianosa, Yossarian lived in a tent with Orr, a mechanically inclined pilot, who was shot down but miraculously survived many missions. Scheisskopf, who is later promoted to general because he invented a new way of marching. Yossarian, who chose to become an airman because he incorrectly believed the war would be over before he finished training, endures endless marches under the command of then-Lt. The plot unfolds in a nonchronological manner, as the narrator focuses on dozens of men from the 256th squadron - many of who are killed throughout the course of the book - and how their stories intersect with Yossarian’s.

He also feels accomplished when he avoids work in general. He prides himself on his ability to avoid dying, not necessarily dropping bombs accurately. Yossarian copes by taking regular holidays in the hospital, nursing a possible liver condition that causes no real discomfort but keeps his temperature sufficiently high enough to avoid suspicious doctors. By requesting to be grounded, he is proving his sanity and is therefore required to continue flying. Since no sane man would continue to voluntarily fly such dangerous missions, all Yossarian has to do is request that he be relieved of duty. Doc Daneeka is required to ground anyone who is insane. Cathcart repeatedly increases the number of missions that the men in the 256th squadron must fly, and Yossarian becomes increasingly fearful that he will be killed in action. Not only do strangers shoot at his plane whenever he drops bombs on them, but his superior officers also put his life at risk to further their own advancement. Yossarian doesn’t understand why thousands of people are trying to kill him. Army Air Corps on the Mediterranean island of Pianosa during World War II. John Yossarian is serving as a bombardier with the U.S.

Catch 22 paperback