Eddie who is 40 has been married to Beatrice for an extensive time. Eddie has a vital role in the family, he pilots his own laws in to the family. Eddie must accept high profile decisions. We see this when Catherine asks for job in a plumbing factory in the Navy yard. Eddie refuses. No, no you gonna finish school’. Eddie’s desire is for Catherine to achieve a high-status job, where she can leave Red hook. ‘I want you to have a nice office, someplace in New York…’ Eddie hopes for Catherine to obtain the American dream, which is wealth and success.
Eddie’s relationship with Beatrice has lost passion and affection. Their marriage as the play goes on seems to be growing weaker, and Beatrice is getting frustrated because Eddie has not made love to her in 3 months. ‘When am I gonna be your wife again.’ Beatrice is implying when she will be able to do her womanly duties in the bedroom. The bond between the couple has lost love.
Marco and Rodolpho are brothers in seek of wealth; they have illegally arrived from Italy. They are related to Beatrice, and Eddie has granted permission for them to be accommodated at his home. ‘Then what the hell b it’s an honour… they can stay.’ Beatrice is nervous at the prospect of having relatives visiting her way of life. She wants to impress Marco and Rodolpho and hearing of their arrival to America, Beatrice is apprehensive about a tablecloth. ‘I didn’t even buy a new table cloth.’ Beatrice wants to portray how she has achieved a lot from living in America and wants Marco and Rodolpho to observe that she has been living a wealthy and successful life.
Marco and Rodolpho have arrived to America because Italy was suffering from poverty. Marco has family back home and on his arrival request to mail some money back to his family as soon as possible. ‘My wife, I want to send money right away.’ Marco has come to America so he can sustain his family by working hard in America. Rodolpho arrives in America leaving no immediate family in Italy. He has no wife or kids. Rodolpho has migrated to America so that he can change his life style. He believes that America can offer him a more suitable life than Italy. Rodolpho really wants to be more like an American. ‘I want to be like an American.’ Rodolpho has caught the imagination that being an American can help achieve more in his life.
Eddie is honoured at his initial reaction for Marco and Rodolpho to be accommodated at his home. ‘Then what the hell b it’s an honour’ Eddie is implying that it would be an honour for Marco and Rodolpho to stay with them. One of the codes among the community is to facilitate family. Eddie is honoured because he knows he will gain plenty of admiration for harbouring Marco and Rodolpho from the people in Red Hook. Louis a friend of Eddie also proclaims that Eddie will gain respect and honour from his community.’ Believe me, Eddie you got a lot of credit coming your way’. Louis believes that allowing Marco and Rodolpho to stay with Eddie, will not only bring respect and courtesy from him but the whole of the Red Hook society.
Rodolpho who has arrived to Italy to revolutionize his life style starts to begin to impose himself on Catherine. The couple at first begins with a comfortable relationship, but it soon develops into intimate feeling for one another. Rodolpho and Catherine even go on as loving each other, and we get a glimpse of this love when Catherine and Rodolpho take part in the physical act of love. Catherine even goes on as far as loving Rodolpho and proclaims that she loves him. ‘I love you, Rodolpho, I love you.’ The bond amid the two has hit new heights and their relationship increasingly develops.
Eddie takes Catherine as a daughter. Eddie and Catherine’s relationship at the begin of the play is of father and daughter. Eddie believes that it is his job to protect Catherine. ‘she my responsibility..’. When learning that Rodolpho has gained an intimate relationship with Catherine, Eddie does not approve. He believes that Rodolpho is trying to exploit Catherine for his passport. ‘Katie he’s after your passport.’ Catherine refuses to believe that Rodolpho is exploiting her, and the disagreement between Eddie and Catherine ruins their relationship. Catherine looses the reliance in her uncle and starts to hate him. ‘he’s a dirty rat’. Eddie believes that he is protecting Catherine, but really has become over-possessive, and instead of giving his niece safety, he has given her alarm. We witness this when Catherine pleads for Rodolpho to take her to Italy because she is terrified of Eddie. ‘I’m afraid of Eddie here’. The relationship between Eddie and Catherine has vanished, and Eddie who has not realised that he has lost faith from his niece.
Eddie is attempting to end the relationship between Rodolpho and Catherine. Alfieri is a respected lawyer within the Red hook neighbourhood. Eddie tries to convince Alfieri that Rodolpho is not to be trusted. ‘he’s not right’. Eddie is eager for Alfieri to understand the predicament that Eddie is in, so he attacks Rodolpho’s sexualality. He suggests that Rodolpho is gay because he has blond hair and sings with a high note. ‘He sings see, but sometime he hits a high note…’ Eddie is desperate to assemble the support of Alfieri, but Alfieri warns Eddie and proclaims that the law cannot do nothing about the situation that Eddie finds himself in. Eddie in another method to attack Rodolpho physically harms him. He picks a fight Rodolpho in front of Catherine, Eddie wants to embarrass Rodolpho by showing that he is physically weak. During this time, Eddie also manages to seek some revenge through his hate towards Rodolpho.
Eddie has learned that Rodolpho and Catherine plan to marry. Eddie is furious, and in a last attempt, he confronts Alfieri. Eddie is in search to get rid of Rodolpho, so he pleads with Alfieri to give the number for immigration. Alfieri pleads with Eddie not to phone the immigration authorities about Rodolpho, and warns of the dire consequences it may have on him. ‘you wont have a friend in the world’ Alfieri points out that Eddie will be hugely unpopular within Red hook, but Eddie who desires justice rings the immigration services.
When the immigration services come to take Marco and Rodolpho away, Marco confronts Eddie where a Red Hook audience observe. Marco claims that Eddie is the sole motive why his kid will starve. ‘He killed my children! That one stole food from my children! The impact of Eddie’s actions has lost his respect and honour within the community. Eddie’s actions has broken the code, he has become a hated figure within the community. We see this when Eddie tries to grab the attention of Louis. ‘Louis, Louis…’ Louis ignores Eddie and the sense of anger is revealed in the community to Eddie.
Eddie is desperate for his honour in the community to be once again established. ‘I want my respect’. For Eddie to receive the honour of the community, Marco must express regret to Eddie, and hearing that Marco has been released from prison, Eddie seeks to confront him. Marco is looking for revenge against Eddie, Both men want justice from one another, and neither man can stand down. This in the end leads to Eddie’s death. Both men begin to fight and Eddie gets stabbed and dies, the play ends in catastrophe.
The themes in the play effect the Characters of Eddie and Catherine a lot. The play persist to effect these character. Justice effect Eddie’s death, and love effects Catherine’s relationship with Rodolpho. The theme of the American dream produced a huge impact to the characters in the play the most. It displayed how Rodolpho and Marco’s quest for the American dream. However, no one in the play endures the American dream, and with the play concluding in calamity, Aurthor Millers portrays that the American dream is not real, and through working hard not anyone can be a success to themselves.
