Eddie is secretly obsessed with Catherine and silently loves her. Due to this obsession Eddie becomes very overprotective and is cautious about Catherine. Eddie is a hardworking, good man with moral. He is a positive character and wants the best for Catherine. Eddie is very overprotective and his innermost desires for Catherine forces him to disallow Catherine too flirtatiously talk to any man.
Catherine has left school and breaks the news to Eddie that she will soon get a job. Eddie’s overprotection seems overpowering and Catherine is told not to go to the job Eddie simply does this because he loves her very much and feel she might meet another man. Later Eddie realises that suspicions are arising and also that his being overprotective and therefore allows her to attend the job. Eddie says “all right go to work hey take it easy”. Eddie takes snitching very seriously and believes people who snitch should be punished severely. “Give me the number of the immigration bureau. Thanks I want to report something. Illegal immigrants two of them”. This proves that Eddie is follower of Sicilian is a regulation.
Miller tries to prepare the audience for upcoming events where Eddie will snitch. This preparation also conveys how fate can make a character go against what he strongly believes. Eddie is very overprotective about the way Catherine dresses, as he feels revealing or attractive clothes attracts other men. “What the high heels for Garbo” Roldolpho is very different to his brother Marco. We notice Roldolpho has a more feminine side to him self as he cooks, sings, dance and mends things and has also fallen in love with Catherine and wants to marry her. Jealously has grasped Eddie is at heart and mind grows envious of Roldolpho. He has started furiously to state he believes that Roldolpho is a homosexual because he sings upon the pier which is in America very unusual for man. “There are laughing at him on the pier.
Eddie becomes so envious of Roldolpho that he begins to act and say impetuous things. Eddie also tries to imply and persuade Catherine that he wants to marry her for a permanent stay in America “Kate he is only bowing to his passport”. So far it the transition in Eddie’s character highlights the corruption within morals.
Eddie is greatly frustrated at this point and has had complete character transformations. Jealously has overtaken his actions and his inner most desires for Catherine has driven him to perform exaggerated actions and act completely of character. “I don’t understand you she seventeen years old”
When Eddie has tried all methods to break the couple, he has one more attempt. Over a period of time Eddie attempts to say Roldolpho is a homosexual through his obvious hints and expressions “I ‘m telling you that guy isn’t right”
He becomes out of character and challenges a minor fight
gut with Roldolpho. He does this either to hurt him or to prove to Catherine the lack of strength he has and maybe also questions his masculity. He fights with Roldolpho hurt by unexpected punch from Eddie. Eddie and Marco compete a lift a chair by one leg form crouching position Marco lifts the chair with no problems and Eddie struggles and fails to lift the chair. “We try again, and again he fails”
Eddie feelings become apparent to Beatrice. Beatrice has suspicions of Eddie’s love for Catherine, and the way he treats her. Eddie frequently denies it, but Beatrice knows he secretly loves her. Eddie is driven by uncontrolled emotions like jealously and he behaves unusually and kisses Catherine on her lips. This part of the play is important and Eddie is trying to achieve and prove Roldolpho is a homosexual.
Eddie has done the extraordinary to get his way. The immigration officers capture Marco who in turn spits in Eddie’s face, in the front of the neighbourhood and Eddie feels his reputation has immensely dropped and his last resort to stop the marriage has been unsuccessful.
At this point Eddie is very nervous and frustrated, all has been lost. He again acts out of his normal nature and takes to the street shouting “I want my name back”! Miller shows that Eddie is a character that doesn’t “settle for half”. This could suggest that he struggles to get his own way and is not satisfied with half of what is available. In the street Marco and Eddie fight in front of the whole neighbourhood. Knowing he has lost all, his temper is lost and he takes out a knife assuming he has nothing to lose. With the knife he attempts to stab Marco, who repels the knife back into Eddie chest. His assumption is also wrong, as he has just lost his life. “Turning” the blade in ward and pressing it home”. A decent hardworking being with morals that is changed by resentment that is lost in life and is brought by downfall and also in the end dies.
