Miller uses these remarks as the foundations of Eddie’s major flaw; his over-protectiveness of Catherine, his incestuous yearning and his jealously concerning her. Although these are only hints, Miller uses them to scratch the surface of his tragic hero theme.
In Act One, Eddie informs Beatrice that her cousins, Marco and Rodolfo, are arriving in Red Hook that night. Eddie says he is happy to let them stay in their house as long as they’re grateful and he does not “end up on the floor.” As Beatrice’s cousins are illegal immigrants, Miller has Eddie and Beatrice explain the story of Vinny Bolzano, one of six children who “snitched” on his uncle, an immigrant, and was cast out by his father and five brothers – “they grabbed him in the kitchen and pulled him down the stairs – three flights his head was bouncin’ like a coconut. And they spit on him in the street, his own father and his brothers. The whole neighbourhood was crying.” This story emphasizes the sense of community in Red Hook, which is bound by its own codes of honour, justice and vengeance. Eddie’s tone of contempt towards Vinny is an important part of the story.
Miller has Rodolfo and Marco arrive as Catherine goes off to start a new job away from Eddie. Eddie greets Beatrice’s cousins enthusiastically and seems to warm to both of them immediately – “You’re welcome, Marco, we got plenty of room here. Katie, give them some supper, heh?” However, he soon begins to address Marco more than Rodolfo, possibly because Catherine seems so fascinated with him. When Rodolfo begins singing, Eddie is even more unnerved, particularly when Catherine interrupts his telling Rodolfo to stop singing. He quickly gives the excuse that his singing would attract attention – “we never had no singers here… and all of a sudden there’s a singer in the house.” But Eddie’s suspicion is no longer concealed when Rodolfo tells him that he understands Catherine wanting to be an actress, as she is “so beautiful.” At this point, Miller is beginning to drop strong hints about Eddie’s deterioration.
The scene fades out and Alfieri appears again. Miller uses this to skip further on through the tale, and when the scene fades back in, Eddie is being for more prominent in expressing his views of Rodolfo, who is now going out with Catherine, and his jealously is far more potent. He is talking to Beatrice, and giving her excuses as to why he dislikes Rodolfo – every time she quashes one of his accusations, he comes up with a new one; he says he’s advertising himself by leaving the house while not working – Beatrice says that’s Rodolfo’s problem; he says he doesn’t see Catherine practice Stenography anymore – Beatrice says she’s just excited; Eddie says that Rodolfo’s gives him the “heebie-jeebies,” and, when Beatrice says he jealous, he says “Of him? Boy, you don’t think much of me” as if Rodolfo is inferior to him. At this point,
Eddie then starts making connotations about Rodolfo’s sexuality, telling Beatrice that he “sings on the ship” and that they (the Sicilian community who respect Eddie) call him ‘Paper Doll’ and ‘Canary.’ Eddie even goes as far as to say he looks like a “choir-girl” with his “wacky blonde hair.” For Eddie to even infer that Rodolfo was gay would have been a seriously bold statement as homosexuality was a taboo subject, particularly when the play was originally performed in the 1950’s. Miller uses this to add to the extremity of Eddie’s insults. The harshness of these words develops Eddie’s tragic flaw.
Later, when Lois and Mike, who respect Eddie, begin poking fun at Rodolfo, Eddie appears to take it in good humour, but it soon becomes apparent to the audience through Miller’s direction that he is not defending Rodolfo (“he’s just a kid, that’s all.”) but defending his own dignity. His friends walk of laughing, leaving Eddie angry, and waiting to confront Catherine and Rodolfo who arrive outside the apartment soon after.
Eddie begins to let out his suspicions that Rodolfo is only after Catherine to marry her and become an American citizen. This deeply upsets Catherine, which makes Eddie more resolute to get rid of Rodolfo, because he places the blame of Catherine’s sadness upon Rodolfo.
Later, Eddie goes to see Alfieri who tells him there is no law to stop Rodolfo going after Catherine, even after Eddie suggests Rodolfo is gay. Alfieri tells him there is no law on his side, and that he understands how Eddie feels, but he has to let Catherine go (“sometimes there is too much love for the neice.”) but this makes Eddie angry – “a son-of-a-bitch punk like that… I give him my house to sleep! I take the blankets off my bed for him, and he takes and puts his filthy hands on her like a goddam thief!” This is very significant as it is the first time Eddie has let his true feelings known, and his raw emotion shows through, illuminating the flaw he retains.
At this point Alfieri importantly addresses the audience and says that from that moment on, he knew what would happen “step by step” and “knew where he was going to end.” He says, “I could have stopped it…” Authur Miller uses this point to tell the audience that Eddie will die, and although people are beginning to foresee the inevitable tragedy in Eddie’s future, they are still powerless to stop it.
The following part of the play is a discussion between Rodolfo and Catherine, where her feelings about being afraid of Eddie come out, and the audience realise that other characters are now starting to notice the floor that had originally been between Eddie, Alfieri and them. Catherine says “I’m afraid of Eddie here.” – this shows that Eddie’s flaw is now beginning to leak out and infect other characters, and the fated conclusion is drawing closer.
The two character’s talk leads them into the bedroom, and when Eddie arrives shortly after, guessing what happened, the tension that Miller has been building up between the characters since Rodolfo and Marco arrived, explodes. Eddie shouts at Rodolfo to leave, Catherine says she has to leave too, but Eddie stops her. Rodolfo says to Eddie that he wants to marry Catherine and Miller uses this moment to kick off a sequence of shocking events.
Eddie kisses Catherine on the mouth and Rodolfo attacks him, but is pinned down. Then Eddie kisses Rodolfo. Miller uses this scene to show that whatever fine line was holding down Eddie’s anger and frustration has broken, and he is no longer the sane self he was before jealously consumed him. The kisses alone show that Eddie’s flaw is now beginning to harm others and become wholly known, just like in Greek tragedies. Eddie then confronts Rodolfo with accusations about his sexuality and his attentions, something that Miller had only let the audience know about indirectly, but now that all characters know.
To emphasize the classic rule in Greek tragedies that even when a characters flaw is known, and their fate is inevitable, the characters can only look on helplessly, and not change what will happen: Alfieri tells the audience that, when Eddie comes to see him next, that he wanted to call the police “but nothing happened.” This shows that Miller’s characters even know that something is wrong, but they can not divert it to a peaceful conclusion, even though they don’t know why.
When Alfieri tells Eddie that there is no law that can stop Rodolfo and Catherine getting married, this is Miller’s final clue to the fact that Eddie’s fate is assured, because if the wedding can not be dispatched through social, moral or legal means, then they will get married, and that action will lead Eddie to his final demise. Indeed, soon after he realises he has no hope of stopping the wedding, he seemingly seals his doom by phoning the Immigration Bureau.
When they arrive later in the play, the significance of the Vinny Bolzano story comes into play, as the Immigration Officers come in to take away Marco and Rodolfo, and also find two other ‘submarines’ living there, who are related to Lipari the Butcher, who Eddie fears. Eddie finds himself in the position of Vinny Bolzano, whom he earlier spoke of with contempt, as Catherine and Beatrice realize that he has “snitched” on Marco and Rodolfo. Miller know reveals Eddie’s truly tragic situation: not only has he disgraced his family and neighbourhood, plus Lipari’s relatives, but also himself.
Both Catherine and Beatrice are speechless with shock when they realise what Eddie has done, and immediately, it seems, their opinion of him changes from love to hate. Miller uses Beatrice’s unbelieving “Oh, my God, my God” to show that even she, who had stood by and supported Eddie, had now turned against him.
To add further insult to injury, Marco later spits in Eddie’s face, and is then carried away before Eddie can retaliate. This sequence of events further degrades Eddie’s character, and will lead to his end being far more tragic, as he is deserted, disgraced and angry at how he thinks his good intentions are being misinterpreted and thrown back in his face.