Yossarian’s dilemma

Yossarian posses a dilemma for the medical staff in Joseph Heller’s “Catch 22″…  He lingers in the hospital, not getting well enough to discharge, not worsening sufficiently to cure or expire.  This foreshadows the dilemma   of the dead man in Yossarian’s tent (he never reported and died before he could officially be counted as having arrived, so his things cannot be moved) and that grandest of dilemmas, Catch 22.  Catch 22 goes like this:  Fliers can only be grounded for being crazy; crazy people don’t want to get grounded; the battle-weary fliers who ask to be grounded are obviously sane or they would not make such a request and therefore, they cannot be grounded.

That’s some Catch, that Catch 22.  The best there is.

When I last applied to be a patient at the Mayo Clinic, they  rejected me at the outset, sending me a letter essentially stating that I was too sick to treat.  The rejection advised me that they only accept patients whom they they can help, and my neurological state defies improvement.

So, I was too sick to justify treating me; but if I were not that sick, why would I ask such an august facility as the Mayo Clinic to help me?  Ah.  Catch 22.

But now,  I’m in a much better position.  I’m just sick enough  with my reactivated virus to pose a challenge, but not so far gone as to prompt instant rejection.  They asked to talk to my doctor, and thereafter, to see  my records.  I’m faxing releases and hoping for the best.  I might have found my way around my own personal Catch 22.  It took a bit of poking at the parameters of Yossarian’s dilemma, but that’s okay.  If it gets the job done, I’ll  happy.

 

2 thoughts on “Yossarian’s dilemma

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *