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January 15, 2006
catch-22
I've been enjoying Catch-22 over the past couple of weeks; a satirical novel about war and relationships with quick wit that keeps your eyes quickly moving down the page. Here's one such passage where Yossarian and Milo discuss the just way to retrieve a bedsheet from the thief:
"Let me try to explain it again," Milo offered with growing weariness and exasperation, jerking his thumb toward the thief with the sweet tooth, still grinning beside him. "I knew he wanted the dates more than the bedsheet. Since he doesn't understand a word of English, I made it a point to conduct the whole transaction in English.""Why didn't you just hit him over the head and take the bedsheet away from him?" Yossarian asked.
Presssing his lips together with dignity, Milo shook his head. "That would have been most unjust," he scolded firmly. "Force is wrong, and two wrongs never make a right. It was much better my way. When I held the dates out to him and reached for the bedsheet, he probably thought I was offering to trade."
"What were you doing?"
"Actually, I was offering to trade, but since he doesn't understand English, I can always deny it."
"Suppose he gets angry and wants the dates."
"Why, we'll just hit him over the head and take them away from," Milo answered without hesitation. He looked from Yossarian to McWatt and back again. "I really can't see what everyone is complaining about. We're all much better off than before. Everybody is happy but this thief, and there's no sense worrying about him, since he doesen't even speak our language and deserves whatever he gets. Don't you understand?"
But Yossarian still didn't understand either how Milo could buy eggs in Malta for seven cents apiece and sell them at a profit in Pianosa for five cents.
art | By charity | 12:31 PM
Comments
Your reading of it makes me want to revisit it. My favorite section is the interrogation of Yossarian by the tribunal. I've always wanted to preform it.
Posted by: Andy at January 17, 2006 01:15 AM
hey, do you have an RSS feed fer yer blog?
Posted by: LN at January 25, 2006 03:10 PM
am not exactly sure what that means... it can be accessed from bloglines, but don't know beyond that...
Posted by: charity at January 27, 2006 10:59 AM