‘The older one is sick in his chest.’ My wife – she feeds them from her own mouth. I tell you the truth, if I stay there they will never grow up. They eat the sunshine’.
Not only does this show that he is honest and that he works hard for his family, it additionally depicts the harsh reality of his situation back in Italy, and as a result this creates sympathy from Eddie, Beatrice and the audience. Furthermore this sympathy and fondness of Marco expands when the salary that he can obtain for this family dumfounds him. He says:
‘My wife – My wife – I want to send right away maybe twenty dollars – Eduardo…’
Without showing too much emotion, whilst following Eddie’s ‘male code of honour’, he expresses his gratitude towards Eddie, which is evident where the playwright informs us ‘his eyes are showing tears’. Marco is clearly ecstatic by this opportunity to make his family happy and this earns him his respect, particularly from Eddie, who has strong feelings about maintaining a satisfied family.
Contradicting to the sharp and polite character of Marco, Rodolfo is more flamboyant and a raconteur. Whereas Marco is more sharp and ‘machismo’, Rodolfo is more vivacious and talkative, which is evident where he says:
‘ Oh, sure! It’s a feature in our town. The horses in our town are skinnier than the goats. So if there are too many passengers we help to push the carriages up to the hotel. In our town the horses are only for show’
He not only answers the questions proposed by Beatrice, but he expands on it in depth, informing the audience that he is chatty and speaks in a more casual tone. Furthermore the repetition of ‘he laughs’ by Miller sums up Rodolfo’s personality – happy and confident. Additionally he is not ashamed to express his true feelings, which seems obvious to us when he responds to Eddie’s description of economic opportunities in America. He says:
‘How much? We hear of all kinds of figures. How much can we make? We work hard, we’ll work all day, all night - ’
Marco shows that he is desperate to make money, and he is almost dumfounded by the mention of money itself. He is evidently not afraid to express his emotions; he almost shamelessly begs to work. This does not depict Eddie’s ‘male code of honour’ and therefore Eddie does not show respect towards him, shown by the playwright when ‘he is coming more and more to address Marco only’. Eddie chooses not to respond to Rodolfo’s comments because Rodolfo is ostentatious, which by Eddie’s standards does not make him ‘machismo’. As a result, Eddie responds only to Marco, who he genuinely respects as a result of his formality and gratitude.
Eddie’s incestuous dreams with Catherine results in deep jealousy of the relationship that she has with Rodolfo. This is evident where Catherine and Rodolfo flirt using the pun of ‘sugar’, leaving ‘his face puffed with trouble’. Because both Catherine and Beatrice show interest in Rodolfo and his stories, Eddie is not the centre of female attention and so he seeks attention; when Rodolfo sings the playwright informs us that ‘Eddie rises and moves upstage’. Unaware of Eddie’s incestuous situation, Beatrice, who is a mediator in the household, questions his irrational dislike of Eddie. She says:
‘He’s a nice fella, hard workin’, he’s a good – lookin’ fella’.
In her vernacular tone, Beatrice highlights the positive aspects of Rodolfo, showing the audience that she is perceptive; this is also obvious where the playwright tells us that ‘she realizes there is a campaign solidified in him’, meaning that Eddie is close – minded. He gives irrational excuses for disliking Rodolfo, including his blond hair and his ostentatious singing, which does not follow his ‘male code of honour’. However the audience is aware that these reasons are all a cover up for one thing – Eddie’s incestuous feelings towards Catherine. As a result, he rejects anything said by Rodolfo and tries to divert attention towards himself, shown by Miller where ‘he is coming more and more to address Marco only’. Rodolfo does not respond to this and continues to converse with Eddie, showing us that he is naïve but yet friendly.
Whereas Marco is formal and family orientated, Rodolfo is ostentatious and chooses to live the ‘high life’. Whereas Beatrice is interested by this flamboyancy and Catherine is attracted to his confidence and romance, Eddie’s own insecurities lead him to irrationally dislike Rodolfo, alongside the incestuous reason of jealousy of Catherine’s attention. His ‘male code of honour’ is obeyed by Marco, whom as a result he respects, but disobeyed by Rodolfo, who sings, shows his emotions, gathers attention to himself but most importantly he gains the love of Catherine.
