Eddie is proud of Catherine, “With your hair like that you look like a Madonna, you know that? You’re the Madonna type”. We can see that he wants the best for his niece and feels responsible for her because when she tells him that she has been offered a job near the Navy Yard he doesn’t like it, he says, “I don’t like the neighbourhood over there”. Eddie thinks the longshoremen and sailors will take an interest in her, which is something Eddie doesn’t want. He doesn’t want her to grow up. This again also shows how he controls and influences her life.
Later in the play Beatrice’s cousins, Marco and Rodolfo are introduced to the story. This changes the relationship between Eddie and Catherine. Catherine likes Rodolfo and inquires about how his skin and hair is lighter than his brother’s is. Eddie notices that that Catherine is flirting with Rodolfo and sends Catherine into the kitchen to make coffee. Later when Rodolfo is impressing Catherine by singing, Eddie tells him to stop and makes Rodolfo feel stupid by telling him that his singing will give them away, and they will be caught by immigration. Eddie said this because he can see that Catherine is beginning to like Rodolfo and he is trying to stop it. He wants Catherine for himself and does not want her to have another man in her life. Then when Catherine changes her shoes to high heels, possibly to impress Rodolfo, Eddie makes her change them and embarrasses her by saying, “What’s the high heels for, Garbo? Do me a favour, will you? Go ahead” Again he is trying to stop them impressing one another and attempting to stop their relationship growing. He uses his status as the head of the house to belittle her to his own benefit. He feels threatened by Rodolpho and thinks he will take Catherine away from him.
Eddie becomes to act like a jealous boyfriend to Catherine. We see that Catherine and Rodolfo have been spending more time together. He waits outside the house at only 8 o’clock for Catherine who has been out with Rodolfo. Eddie expresses his dislike of Rodolfo; he says when talking about him, “He gives me the heeby-jeebies”. He finds excuses for not liking him, for example he says to Catherine, “He sings on the ships didja know? … And with that wacky hair; he’s like a chorus girl or sump’m.” He is trying to put Catherine off Rodolpho by implying that he is crazy or gay. And we can see that he is obsessing about their relationship, thinking about it and resenting how they are close.
Catherine still likes Rodolfo and still cares for Eddie, even though he is acting in a protective, jealous way. We can see this when she comes home from the Broadway she is concerned that Eddie is upset. She says, “You mad at me?” Eddie tells her that he doesn’t approve of Rodolfo. Catherine, although concerned, tries to understand why Eddie doesn’t like him. She says, “What’re you got against him? I don’t understand.” This shows how she still cares for Eddie’s opinion and for how he feels.
With the help of Rodolpho, Catherine begins to break away from Eddie. Rodolpho says, “If I take in my hands a little bird. And she grows and wishes to fly. But I will not let her out of my hands because I love her so much, is that right for me to do? I don’t say you must hate him; but anyway you must go, mustn’t you? With his advice Catherine realises how over-protective Eddie is to her. Rodolpho is saying that Eddie has too much love for Catherine to do the best things for her. He only cares for himself, because he loves her so much he does not want to let her go, and so is hurting her. This shows how he believes that his actions to keep hold of Catherine are for her good but really he is selfishly attempting to imprison her in his life for his own good.
Eddie’s jealousy and feelings for Catherine begin to take over his life, and his better judgement. He goes to see a lawyer called Alfieri and asks if there is a reason to send Rodolfo back to Italy or to imprison him. But as Eddie already knew the only crime Rodolfo has committed is coming into America illegally and, as Alfieri reminds Eddie, he should not interfere with that because he will be ostracized from the Italian community.
When Catherine finds out that Eddie has told the immigration officers about Marco and Rodolfo, she sees what Eddie has become and starts to hate him. On her wedding morning, Eddie tells Beatrice that if she goes with Catherine to the church, then she isn’t allowed back into the house. Catherine then says, ““How can you listen to him? This rat!” She lets out all her feelings, “He bites people when they sleep! He comes when nobody’s lookin’ and poisons decent people. In the garbage he belongs!” She is beginning to despise him and not be afraid of doing what she wants.
Even though she now seems to hate Eddie, we see that she still does have some sympathy and feelings for him, because when she hears that Marco is coming for revenge she tells Eddie to get away and hide.
Sometimes in the play we can see that Eddie’s love for Catherine extends beyond the normal relationship of an uncle and niece. The play hints that he may feel sexual attraction to her and this is reinforced by the absence of love in his own broken marriage with Beatrice. Alfieri says, “His eyes were like tunnels; my first thought was that he had committed a crime, but soon I saw it was only a passion that had moved into his body, like a stranger” The passion that Alfieri is referring to may be one Eddie has for Catherine. This can also show how Eddie may be crazy or mad because he feels such love for his niece but suppresses it and has no way to express it. Beatrice also says “You want somethin' else, Eddie, and you can never have her!” Instead of denying what Beatrice said, he then attempts to kill Marco this shows that for the first time Eddie truly realizes his feelings for Catherine and his madness. He does not deny what Beatrice said, but seeks revenge and blame someone else for his own demon. His passion for Catherine drives him to attempt murder in his madness but subsequently leads to his death.
During the fight between Eddie and Marco, Eddie pulls a knife but Marco takes it and Eddie is stabbed. Eddie dies and as he does Catherine says, “Eddie, I never meant to do nothing bad to you!” This is her true feelings for Eddie and show she never meant to do any harm, and it also shows how she still loves and cares for him. And reflects her submissive role in their relationship which has been evident throughout the play.
Over the course of the play we can see how Eddie is hypocritical. He says to Catherine, “Just remember, kid, you can quicker get back a million dollars that was stole than a word that you gave away.” Here we can see how he hates the thought of betrayal in his community. But later in the play we can see how he changes from hating betrayal to becoming a betrayer when he calls immigration to try to deport Marco and Rodolpho. This shows he is hypocritical and can show that he only cares for himself. He says to be careful about telling people that Marco and Rodolpho will be there but then when it suits him he decides to get rid of them. This may show his madness and that he does not realise how hypocritical he is.
