SUMMARY During World War II, John Yossarian is a young soldier assigned to the 256th squadron of the United States Air Force Corps. Yossarian is at the base's hospital in Pianosa, an island off the coast of Italy, at the start of the novel. He's attempting to persuade the doctors that he has Jaundice so that he won't have to fly any more missions because he believes that being sent into battle will certainly result in his death. One of the commanding commanders, Colonel Cathcart, informs everyone that if they complete their mission quota, they would be dismissed and returned home. However, as Yossarian witnesses the corruption of the bureaucracy and the military's true intentions, he begins to dismiss this. The Colonel increases the required mission count every time one of the characters is ready to meet the target amount, compelling everyone to stay until they die. Yossarian gets fed up after completing a bombing mission and approaches the camp's doctor, Doc Daneeka, in the hopes of being sent home on the grounds of insanity. He claims, however, that he can never be called insane if he does not wish to jeopardize his life by flying any more missions. This isn't the first time a catch-22 dilemma has been mentioned. Yossarian is then exposed to a slew of new characters, including Milo, Major Major, Nately, and a slew of other members with whom he will have to contend.
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