We see that Eddie believes that Rodolpho does not conform to this image of masculinity as Eddie says of him, "The guy ain't right" and "the guy is no good". Eddie is clearly unhappy with the close relationship developing between Rodolpho and Catherine. He accuses Rodolpho of being effeminate, meaning that he acts more like a woman than a 'real' man, by suspecting that his blond hair is not natural and that his singing at work makes him more like a "chorus girl". We can say that, because he is intellectually limited, he acts by instinct and prejudice. He is quite amusing in his attempt to explain and justify his suspicions of Rodolpho, protesting that he has fair hair, a high singing voice, and a taste for feminine occupations such as cooking and dress-making. It is all summed up in the conviction that Rodolpho is gay and therefore not a suitable husband for Catherine.
Eddie is feels most comfortable on a physical level, a big, strong, impulsive man. He has a primitive mans view of the purposes of which marriage was ordained and cannot believe that the United States law would allow a young girl to be married to someone who is ‘not right’. It is then that he seeks help from Alfieri, a lawyer. Eddie tries to force Alfieri to give him is kind of justice. He believes that Rodolpho is going to marry Catherine in order to make him a legal immigrant and thinks that this is unjust and that the law should be capable of making a case against Rodolpho. Alfieri is a very rational and unemotional as he informs Eddie that no law has been broken. Perhaps the real injustice that Eddie feels is that Rodolpho, an effeminate, ‘weird’ man is taking Catherine from Eddie, a robust, muscular man. We can relate this to the present idea of a man being hit by a girl. When such an incident occurs men feel, discouraged, weak and powerless – the complete opposite of a man, who feels confident in his masculinity as women are always looked down upon. Maybe in this instance, Eddie feels that Rodolpho, ‘a girl’, is taking Catherine away from him and conceivably he feels that this is unjust as women should not be more dominative than the men. This has an effect on his confidence and faith in himself, making him weaker as he is not in the more controlling and ‘dictator’ position. Another example of this is when his own masculinity is called into question when Beatrice asks him “When am I going to be a wife again?”. Later in the play, when he trying to regain his control he tells Beatrice that she must never ask questions like this again.
Eddie is most hostile and aggressive towards Rodolpho. He sees their relationship as thought they are two enemies, fighting over Catherine. An example of this is when Catherine and Rodolpho return from the cinema and Beatrice jokes that Eddie is jealous of Rodolpho. Eddie, shocked by this idea, speaks to Catherine alone to ask her about her feelings for Rodolpho. This turns out to be a confirmation of Eddie’s thoughts and is probably when the real conflict between Eddie and Rodolpho begun as Eddie finally realized that Rodolpho is in love with Catherine. Another form of aggression is when Eddie teaches Rodolpho how to box. This is an opportunity for Eddie to prove his masculinity to everybody, compared to that of Rodolpho’s and is also a way of taking out his anger on the one person he hates most. This is also an example of controlled hostility but this then develops into an unpleasant form of hostility, at the beginning of Act II when Eddie kisses Catherine and Rodolpho. Therefore Miller has structured this well as whenever Eddie is calm and friendly, the atmosphere is likewise. When he is tense and hostile the atmosphere is uncomfortable between everyone. Miller also moves the action and the themes of the play until he reaches the final scene.
At the end of the play, we see Marco, unexpectedly, release his emotions towards Eddie. Marco is seen as the stronger of the two brothers and has a strong sense of responsibility to his wife and family. Marco’s intention to punish Eddie was not a selfish one, he feels that it is his duty to do so and his wisdom of morality is very clear. We are not certain that Marco would have killed Eddie if Eddie had not pulled the knife out, but having said that, Miller did not allow Marco to feel any sorrow or regret for the death of Eddie.
Generally speaking, Eddie is a man who feels uncomfortable when the boundaries of his manliness are threatened. Before the cousins arrived from Italy, Eddie had no threat towards him in his household; both Beatrice and Catherine’s lives revolved around his he liked it this way because he would have complete control over them. However, the arrival of Marco and Rodolpho changed their usual routine and suddenly Eddie felt as though his possessions i.e. Catherine, were at stake.
