在他下定决心要在医院度过剩下的战争之后,Yossarian写信给他认识的每个人,说他在医院里,但从未提及为什么。有一天他有一个更好的主意。对于每个人,他知道他写道,他正在执行非常危险的任务。 “他们要求志愿者。这是非常危险的,但是有人必须这样做。我会给你写信,我回来了。”从那以后他就没有写过任何人。
(After he made up his mind to spend the rest of the war in the hospital, Yossarian wrote letters to everyone he knew saying that he was in the hospital but never mentioning why. One day he had a better idea. To everyone he knew he wrote that he was going on a very dangerous mission. "They asked for volunteers. It's very dangerous, but someone has to do it. I'll write you the instant I get back." And he had not written anyone since.)
在约瑟夫·海勒(Joseph Heller)的“抓-Cath-22”中,角色Yossarian决定在战争期间留在医院,而不是面对战斗的危险。为了保持自己正在从事现役的幻想,他告诉自己的熟人,他正在执行危险的任务,而没有透露其住院的真正理由。这个决定反映了他逃避混乱并避免自己摆脱战争的恐怖的愿望。
Yossarian选择一个关于危险任务的故事的选择,说明了他处境的荒谬性。通过将自己描绘成勇敢的危险任务,他试图将自己避免自己的处境和他人的期望。尽管他返回时发表着写作的声称,但他不再沟通,强调了他对自我保护的承诺,以对战时职责的要求。