Other relationships are affected such as Eddie and Catherine’s, which by the end of the book is almost non-existent. Catherine loves Rodolpho and Eddie finds this very hard to handle because he wants all her attention and he is jealous of Rodolpho.
Eddie (to Catherine): “I don’t see you no more. I come home and you’re runnin’ around some place--” (with Rodolpho)
This is the reason for Eddie’s dislike of him. Eddie tries to prevent Catherine from going out with Rodolpho and this causes arguments between them. Eddie tells Catherine of his theory as to why Rodolpho wants to marry her:
Eddie: “Katie, he’s only bowin’ to his passport.”
This of course deeply upsets her and from some one she loves and has so much respect for it is devastating to her. Then later on in the play Eddie comes home to find Rodolpho in Catherine’s room and he immediately jumps to conclusions and looses his temper:
Eddie: “pack it up go ahead. Go ahead. Get your stuff and get outa here”
Catherine confronts Eddie although she is frightened of him:
Catherine: “I think I can’t stay here no more…………”
Eddie: “you ain’t goin’ nowheres.”
Catherine: “Eddie, I’m not gonna be a baby any more!”
Eddie can no longer control his desire for Catherine and so “…reaches out suddenly, draws her to him, as she strives to free herself he kisses her on the mouth.”
Then Rodolpho tries to stop him and after struggles and shouting Eddie pins Rodolpho to the wall and kisses him on the mouth. I think he does this to say to him with actions “I can do whatever I want” and I think he also wants to see how he reacts to a kiss from another man to try to show Catherine that Rodolpho is a homosexual. But Eddie’s actions completely lose Rodolpho and Catherine’s respect for him. This is the end of the strong relationship between Eddie and Catherine.
The character Rodolpho allows Arthur Miller to explore certain themes in the play. “Love” which has many meanings, and is sometimes used falsely. Love between Rodolpho and Catherine: from the play it is obvious that Catherine is “in love” with Rodolpho but there is some doubt spread over Rodolpho’s love, firstly that he is homosexual or “A weird” as Eddie puts it and secondly that he pretends that he loves her in order to get residence in America through marriage. But both these theories are eddies who is very jealous. Also there is the failing love between Eddie and Beatrice: Although they argued I believe that Beatrice still loved Eddie and this is shown at the end of the book when Beatrice is loyal to Eddie:
Catherine-“How can you listen to him? This rat!” (About Eddie)
Beatrice-shaking Catherine “Don’t call him that!”
Then later on in the conversation:
Beatrice-“Eddie. Lets go some place. Come. You and me.
This shows Beatrice’s love for Eddie. But I think Eddie loved some one else, which takes me onto the subject of incest.
Eddie’s love for Catherine had reached to the point where it was unhealthy for that of a person so close in blood relation. When Eddie sees the relationship between Rodolpho and Catherine his love for Catherine comes out in the story:
Beatrice-“You want some thin’ else, Eddie, and you can never have her!
Despite Eddie’s obvious feelings for Catherine he cannot admit it to any one not even to himself:
Eddie- crying out agony “That’s what you think of me—that I would have such a thoughts?
Through out the play the reader/audience knows of Eddie’s feelings for Catherine and some characters knew but when Beatrice actually says it to Eddie enormous suspense is created as to how Eddie reacts. This in a way makes the reader feel awkward because the subject has finally come out in the story although it has been the main subject through out.
Another very strong theme to the story is law and natural justice and how strongly different they are. Towards the beginning Eddie’s idea of justice (although in this case it is driven by jealousy of Rodolpho) is shown. Eddie thinks that being homosexual is a felony and it is justice to have some thing done about it such as prosecution.
Eddie-“You mean to tell me that there’s no law that a guy which he ain’t right can go to work and marry a girl and--?
Towards the end of the book Marco’s ideas of justice and law are shown. Although by reporting Rodolpho and Marco to the emigration bureau Eddie was obviously not breaking the law, he was betraying them and this was a terrible offense, the offense was not in the eye of the law but in eye of the people who live in the slum where Eddie lived. This is because a lot of them are immigrants would want justice, and Marco had justice by killing Eddie.
In the play Rodolpho enables Arthur Miller to use dramatic techniques to create suspense. During the play there are many power struggles, some of which are physical e.g. When Eddie “teaches” Rodolpho to box he pretends to be pleased with his progress but there is genuine hostility beneath the friendly encouragement. Then Eddie gives Rodolpho a full on blow and with this physical action he is telling him that he is the man of the house and not to mess with him. But after this Marco, who realizes Eddie’s intent, gives him a chair lifting contest, Marco wins raising the chair symbolically above Eddie’s head like a weapon giving Eddie the message “don’t cross me or my family-I am stronger than you and I will kill you” This brings great tension to the play with the strong actions giving the reader/viewer of the play the idea that some thing is going to happen between Marco and Eddie. These power struggles would never have happened if it wasn’t for Rodolpho because Marco and Eddie are similar. They are both hard working macho men and would get on if it were not for Eddies jealousy of Rodolpho.
The use of the stage is very important in the play. It helps to show the tension between characters e.g. When Rodolpho sings Eddie “rises and moves upstage.” This shows that he disapproves of Rodolpho's singing. This builds tension because you can tell Rodolpho’s singing annoys him, but he is trying to restrain himself from saying anything.
