How does Catch-22 reflect the growing counterculture in America in the 1960s? Catch-22 is a novel by American writer Joseph Heller, it was published in 1961. The novel is set during World War II. John Yossarian is a captain in the US Air Force. Catch-22 was an issue where a soldier could not be released from duty until he was officially discharged. The Air Force took advantage of this by continually increasing the number of missions a soldier had to complete before he could be sent home. Youssarian is caught up in a war he doesn't believe in, haunted by the death of one of his comrades, and trapped in the war that leaves him fearing his own death. The story follows Yossarian's psychological struggle to stay sane until he can return home. He develops a fear that people are trying to kill him. Desperate to get out of the war, Yossarian feigns illness and is taken to the Italian military hospital. The 1960s reflected the growing counterculture in America in the 1960s. There was a move away from the conservatism of the previous decade...