Catherine loves Eddie very much, but is surprised when she realises he feels the way he does about her and when his jealousy of Rodolpho is made clear. He obviously feels very mixed up because he shows his feelings towards Katy, and his jealousy, by kissing both Catherine and Rodolpho on the lips, to prove Rodolpho's 'sexuality'. Catherine does go against Eddie's wishes, making him feel disobeyed, but she obviously didn't feel the hatred she showed, because as Eddie is dying she says to him "I never meant to do nothing bad to you." Eddie particularly didn't like the fact the Catherine had put on high heels on in the house, just to make a good impression on a young man (Rodolpho), "What's the high heels for Garbo?" Catherine replies” I figured for tonight- "Do me a favour will you? Go ahead." Eddie says this because he is jelous of Catherine. This shows the audience that Eddie is an over protectinve man that wants his own way.
Arthur Miller also use's the theme of love, which is present between Eddie and Catherine, 'her sobs of pity and love for him break her composure'. Throughout the play Eddie has been a father like figure to Catherine, but he still treats her like a kid, just as Catherine says, 'I'm not gonna be a baby any more'. Some may say that Eddie is just looking out for her, and some may say that there is a little more than father like love between Eddie and Catherine and that Eddie is obsessed with Catherine. I think that this scene is important to the play because it shows the build up of tension between Eddie and Rodolpho, and how Catherine and Rodolpho love each other, but there is also a lot of love between Eddie and Catherine and Catherine doesn't want Eddie to get hurt. At the start of the play Eddie just seems like a caring uncle, but as the play goes on Eddie gets more protective and doesn't care for Catherine's feelings. Alfieri comments that Eddie has "allowed himself to be wholly known."
All of this is exacerbated when two of Beatrice's cousins arrive as illegal immigrants from Sicily. Marco was portrayed as a quiet fellow who just wants to send money back to his ill and starving family. Rodolpho is Marco's little brother with no family or wife to send money back to his life is care free. He was portrayed as tall, blond man in his 20s, who takes a liking to Catherine right away. Eddie suspects Rodolpho is only using Catherine in order to become a legal citizen. He bases this primarily on the fact that Rodolpho "ain't right" through monologues from Alfieri we know this only fuelled by eddies blunt jealousy.
Throughout Act 1 Miller is slowly trying to build up the tension, which will eventually lead to the death of Eddie. When Eddie goes to see Alfieri for some advice Miller increases the tension by highlighting to the audience how much hatred Eddie has for Rodolpho and how his anger and frustration could escalate. As Eddie first enters Alfieri's office, Mr Alfieri describes how "his eyes were like tunnels, my first thought was that he had committed a crime". The word "tunnels" implies that Eddie is in darkness and can only see straight ahead of him rather than see a larger view as Alfieri has. This shows instantly that there will be tension in the atmosphere and that Eddie is there for an important reason.
Miller had put these characters into the setting he did, because the feeling of being in control and being 'the man of the house' is important to Eddie, and also Red Hook is an area in Brooklyn which has it's own morals, and certain ways in which people act, and live their lives. The area of Red Hook is Italian-American, and therefore has very strict Catholic morals, values, and social conventions. Miller uses the idea of Greek tragedy to give us an insight into what is going to happen towards the end of the play. Miller himself said, "Betrayal is implicit in the idea of tragedy". The audience begin to suspect, from early on in the play, that something tragic is going to happen. In addition, Miller uses Alfieri, as an equivalent to the chorus, and as a narrator to give the audience and even clearer insight into the play. He comes into appearance whenever a complex issue arises, to explain Miller's opinion of what is happening. This is noticed in the very first speech when he says "in Calabria perhaps or on the cliff at Syracuse, another lawyer, quite differently dressed, heard the same complaint and sat there as powerless as I, and watched it run its bloody course." This shows how Alfieri watched fate take its place. It shows a meaning that fate or destiny can not be interfered with.
In the beginning of the play, Eddie has a certain sense of family loyalty, as he and Beatrice tell Catherine the story of Vinnie Bolzano, and how "he snitched to the immigration" "on his own uncle". He speaks about Vinnie with great disgust as to how someone can 'snitch' on their own family, but the irony is that Eddie does exactly the same thing when he calls the immigration. Although I think he knows exactly what he is doing is exactly the same as what Vinnie did to his family, I think he feels he is right in doing what he did, because he thinks he is protecting Catherine by stopping her marrying Rodolpo. Ironically, it only brings the two of them closer, as he realises, marrying is the only way Rodolpho will be able to stay in America. In his eyes, Eddie himself can never be wrong in something he says, because he is typically a 1950's man, and believes that the man is correct, and the women should follow. Each of the other characters have different views on Eddie, and these views are seen to change, as they actually realise he is not the man they all originally believed him to be.
This scene is important to the play, 'A View from the Bridge' because it adds a lot of love, hate, jealousy, and tension between the three characters. This scene is also important to the play because it reveals different themes, and shows changes in character loyalties.