Catch-22, the Concept

There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind.
—Catch-22, the novel
Originally titled Catch-14, then Catch-18, the publisher required a further title change and Joseph Heller chose Catch-22. There’s little to suggest why any of these numbers were chosen. Over time, however, the phrase and underlying concept Catch-22 has taken on a life of its own, usually referring to a dilemma with no easy or desirable way out. This phrase is now applied not only to many complex life issues reflected in the story—the unavoidable insanity of war and the military bureaucracy that wages it; loss of faith in life’s most basic values such God, self, and country; disillusionment over the causes you’re expected to die for; abuse of authority to sacrifice others for your own glorification; guilt over circumstances beyond your control; and remaining hopeful by denying the reality of a hopeless situation—but also to any other life experiences that seem absurd and disillusioning. In fact, it is now used to describe virtually any large or small difficulty that’s not easily remedied due to circumstances that seem to be unacceptable, irrational and beyond ones control.

Along with the legacy of an enduring concept, the novel has also become a classic example of satire. It directly or indirectly criticizes many major institutions in our society including medicine, law, industry, finance, and the military, as well as being one of the first American novels to satirize religion.

The novel [is] not only antiwar but a repudiation of all the horror, greed, complacency, ignorance, and “endless cunning” in our civilization. “[It is] one of the most bitterly funny works in the language.” (Nelson Algren)
—The New Republic, 1961