How are women treated in Catch-22?
The maid in the lime-green panties in Rome sleeps with whichever men want to have intercourse. “Her allure stemmed from her accessibility; like Mt. Everest, she was there, and the men climbed on top of her each time they felt the urge” (143). This description is not very flattering to the men who treat her not even as a sex object but as a thing to be had. Throughout Catch-22, women are treated as sexual toys for the men. While most of the interaction with women in this book is negative, it often reflects more negatively on the men than on the women. Yossarian treats Luciana with little dignity, yet the incident reveals his own foolishness. At first, Luciana seems obnoxious. Without Yossarian asking, she announces “I will let you buy me dinner. But I won’t let you sleep with me” (161) and similar statements. She bullies him into taking her out to dinner and then seems to desert him. Yossarian does not try to force himself on her; he always waits for a woman to give permission. Yet, he
