The Character of Yossarian in Catch-22 The main character of Catch-22, written by Joseph Heller in 1960, was Captain John Yossarian, a bombardier of the 256th US Air Force squadron during World War II. Yossarian's commanding officer, Colonel Cathcart, wanted a promotion so badly that he continued to increase the number of missions the men of his squadron had to fight. Yossarian resented this greatly, but there was nothing he could do about it because a bureaucratic trap, known as catch-22, said that men had no right to return home after completing forty missions (the number of missions the Army asks them to fly) because they had to obey their commanders. Yossarian was being controlled by the higher authority as the doctors had restrained Joe. The entire novel was basically about how Yossarian was trying to fight the catch-22. Yossarian can be seen as an anti-hero. Many of his actions could be considered immoral or cowardly. For example, in the hospital, he forged and tampered with letters that he censored. Every time he was overwhelmed by the horrors of war and memories of his friends' deaths, it created symptoms that landed him in the hospital. He also made repeated attempts to be judged insane so he could be discharged. Eventually, Yossarian abandoned the army and fled to Sweden, the only place he knew was safe and sound. However, Yossarian also possessed traits we would expect to find in a hero. He was smart. For example, he knew enough about world literature to identify with the heroic loners of all kinds of classics. He had few illusions, unlike Pip and Henry. For example, during cadet training, Clevinger thought that Lieutenant Scheisskopf really wanted suggestions, but Yossarian knew that Scheisskopf didn't mean it. He was respected, admired and appreciated by others. For example, Dobbs would not have carried out his plot to kill Colonel Cathcart unless Yossarian approved. Milo admired Yossarian and asked him for business advice. Even the chaplain liked Yossarian enough not to speak out when he recognized a "Washington Irving" forgery as Yossarian's. In many ways, Yossarian was also a very moral person. For example, he rejected the hero bargain (his irritated commanding officers offered to send him home as a hero if he publicly praised them). He did not sleep with a woman unless he was in love with her, unlike Odysseus who was unfaithful to his wife to save him and his men.