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Sanity in an Insane Society “Life is always filled with situations that can be difficult to find an escape. Even once in a while, it presents a situation that is well beyond difficult, and totally impossible to escape from.” (Beatty, p. 211) These situations are examined and brought to our attention in Joseph Heller’s novel, Catch-22. The main character, Yossarian, does not want to fly but is met with a ‘catch 22’, which can be seen as a stumbling block to reason and even free will. In the end, Yossarian takes a stand against his situation by surprisingly running away from it. The novel satirizes bureaucracy, pride for one’s country, and many of our traditional American principles. This was reflective of the escalating condescension for habitual viewpoints that were rising in America at that time. (Potts, p. 13) Yossarian refuses to submit to the system but in his efforts to resist it, he becomes perceivable as insane, incapable of adapting to the shared and moral norms of everyone else. In Catch 22 , Heller portrays a situation where a military bureaucracy, impersonal and clearly biased, can seriously affect one’s perceptions of sanity and insanity. Plagued by catch 22, Yossarian becomes the tormented