Edward J. Nately III is a fictional character in

Joseph Heller Joseph Heller (May 1, 1923 – December 12, 1999) was an American author of novels, short stories, plays, and screenplays. His best-known work is the 1961 novel '' Catch-22'', a satire on war and bureaucracy, whose title has become a synonym for ...

's satirical 1961 novel ''

Catch-22 ''Catch-22'' is a satirical war novel by American author Joseph Heller. It was his debut novel. He began writing it in 1953; the novel was first published in 1961. Often cited as one of the most significant novels of the twentieth century, it ...

''.

Background information

Nately starts off the book as a 19-year-old Lieutenant, who will be "twenty next January" and who came from a very rich and respected family. (In a flashback his mother reminds him that—in contrast to such vulgar upstarts as the

Astors The Astor family achieved prominence in business, society, and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With German roots, some of their ancestry goes back to the Italian and Swiss Alps, the Astors ...

, "whose family, I believe, still lets rooms," and the "vulgar tugboat captain" Vanderbilt—"You are a Nately, and the Natelys have never done ''anything'' for their money.") His family originally enlisted him to serve in the Air Corps, believing the war would be over by the time he finished his training and that he would mingle with "gentlemen". Therefore, Nately could gain the pride of enlisting without actually having to fight. Instead, he mingled with

Yossarian :''Also covered in this article are the characters Snowden and Yossarian's tentmates.'' Capt. John Yossarian is a fictional character, the protagonist of Joseph Heller's satirical 1961 novel ''Catch-22'' and its 1994 sequel '' Closing Time''. ...

and

Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the Anglo–Scottish border, English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and ...

, and was sent overseas. He lives in a tent with McWatt next to Havermeyer's tent. His most notable contribution to the book is his involvement with a

whore Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

, who is for the most part uninterested in him until he gives her some time to sleep. He is often filled with

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

optimism, shown by his desire to marry his whore and send her kid sister to a respected U.S. college. He is killed on a mission when Dobbs accidentally flies his plane into Nately's while attempting to evade flak. Nately's whore blames Yossarian and spends the rest of the book trying to murder him with various objects such as a potato peeler. A chapter later deleted from ''Catch-22'' entitled 'Love, Dad' gives Nately's full name as Edward J. Nately III.

In other media

Art Garfunkel Arthur Ira Garfunkel (born November 5, 1941) is an American singer, actor and poet who is best known for his partnership with Paul Simon in the folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel. Born in Forest Hills, Queens, New York, Garfunkel became acquainte ...

portrayed Nately in the 1970 film adaptation of the novel directed by

Mike Nichols Mike Nichols (born Igor Mikhail Peschkowsky; November 6, 1931 – November 19, 2014) was an American film and theatre director and comedian. He worked across a range of genres and had an aptitude for getting the best out of actors regardless of ...

. In the film, Nately dies in the bombing of the base by

Milo Minderbinder First Lieutenant Milo Minderbinder is a fictional character in Joseph Heller's 1961 novel, '' Catch-22''. As the mess officer of Yossarian's squadron, Minderbinder is an entrepreneur during World War II, "perhaps the best known of all fictional b ...

. In the 2019 miniseries, he is portrayed by

Austin Stowell Austin Miles Stowell (born December 24, 1984) is an American actor. He is known for his roles in '' Dolphin Tale'' (2011), its sequel '' Dolphin Tale 2'' (2014), '' Love and Honor'' (2013), '' Whiplash'' (2014), as Francis Gary Powers in Steven S ...

Nately's Whore

Nately's whore is portrayed as a very tired prostitute who has no interest in sex, and would rather sleep. She is constantly hounded by her younger sister. Therefore, Lieutenant Nately, who is madly in love with her, cannot persuade her to engage in a meaningful relationship with him. She engages him sexually, but it is cold and mechanical, for she refuses to spend any time with Nately without pay.

Captain Black Captain Black is the fictional nemesis of Captain Scarlet and the primary, recurring Mysteron agent in the 1960s British Supermarionation television series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' and its 2005 animated remake, ''New Captain Scarlet ...

would frequently sleep with her to annoy Nately. However, when she finally does get some rest, she falls as madly in love with Nately as he did for her. Shortly after, Nately dies on a combat mission. When Yossarian arrives in Rome to deliver the bad news to her, Nately's whore blames

for Nately's death. She subsequently dedicates herself to pursuing Yossarian, and ambushes him several times throughout the remainder of the novel in an attempt to exact revenge for Nately's death by stabbing him. She finally succeeds in stabbing him in the side, sending him to the hospital. Another one of her attacks is the last, albeit minor, comical event in the book.

The Kid Sister

Nately's Whore's Kid Sister is another character in ''

''. Her real name is never mentioned, and Heller only refers to her in terms of her relationship with her sister, even though she is specifically mentioned more than once. In the plot of the story, she constantly interrupts Nately and his whore while they are having sex as the little girl wants to become a prostitute like her sister. Towards the end of the novel,

tries to save her after she and all of the prostitutes have been thrown out of their apartment by

Military Police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...

. Her whereabouts after this are unknown. At the end of the novel, Yossarian vows to find her and take her with him to

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

References

{{Catch-22 Catch-22 characters Fictional lieutenants Fictional United States Air Force personnel Teenage characters in literature Teenage characters in film