The tension is created through the language before this event, which is brooklynese a mix between American and Italian. Eddies language is informal, informing the reader of his status, it also informs the reader of his dramatic role: ‘Il’l see ya fellas’; ‘I could tell ya stuff which you would talk to him no more.’ Arthur Miller makes the language more informal by breaking the sentences up lots, for example, commas and full stops which make the tension rise, if read in the right way, because it will be direct, fast and vigorous.
The tension is also built up by using short sharp sentences: “At’s it, Now, watch out.” Instantly the reader can identify that something is going to happen. Homosexuality or what makes a man (“not right”) is a persistent theme of the novel. Eddie obviously identifies Rodolpho as homosexual because he sings, he cooks and makes dresses and was not the normal in the 1950’s therefore Eddie was very suspicious.
Eddies’ actions relate back to the social and historical aspects of the generation because the men of his day expected to be respected as the head of the family, especially in Red Hook. The boxing match was an attempt by Eddie to impress Catherine by showing his machismo, and proving that Rodolpho only wants to marry Catherine so he can be an American Citizen, and that he is actually homosexual because he couldn’t fight!
In the kissing scene Eddie comes home early from work because it is Christmas holiday. He is drunk and seems unsteady. He calls out to Beatrice to see if she is at home. Catherine enters the room ‘you got home early’ she says ‘knocked off for Christmas early’ he replies. Rodolfo then appears in the bedroom doorway, Eddie sees him and he is slightly shocked.
This scene shows Eddie’s character to be quite angry. He loses his temper very quickly, he threatens Rodolfo and at one point you think he might actually hit Rodolfo.
Eddie shouts very loudly at Catherine and he makes her cry because he doesn’t usually talk to her in this way. He is usually very nice to her but lately since Rodolfo moved in, he has been very unsupportive of her and he is trying to get her to change her mind about him because Rodolfo is not like him. There is evidence of this when Eddie says ‘he marries you he’s got a right to be an American citizen. That’s what’s going on here the guy is looking for a break, that’s all’. Eddie does not approve of Rodolfo because he has blond hair, he sings, cooks and he doesn’t know how to box! Eddie thinks that all men should be physically strong, hard working and supporting his family. Eddie is more favoured towards Marco because he has the same qualities as he does. Eddie doesn’t have anything in common with Rodolfo because he thinks Rodolfo is different and that he isn’t right. Basically Eddie doesn’t think Rodolfo is anything that a man should be. Eddie is not pleased to find Catherine and Rodolfo at home alone together. Catherine seems distressed and frightened at Eddie’s behaviour towards her. This is when she becomes rather tearful.
Catherine is bold enough to stand up to Eddie but Eddie suddenly grabs her and kisses her on the mouth. Rodolfo jumps to Catherine’s rescue by yelling at Eddie and forcing him to let go of Catherine. Rodolfo then flies at Eddie in attack and then Eddie pins his arms, laughing and suddenly kisses him. Catherine is raged at Eddie’s behaviour; she is horrified by what he did. Rodolfo is rigid. Both Eddie and Rodolfo are like animals torn at one another and broken up without decision, each waiting for the other’s mood.
The tensions being explored in this scene are the ones between Eddie and Rodolfo and also the tensions between Catherine and Eddie. Eddie kisses Catherine because he is sexually attracted to her. There is proof of this in the beginning of the play when Eddie says ‘you been giving me the willies the way you walk down the street, I mean it’.
Kissing Catherine could be something that Eddie has been waiting to do for a while. Eddie’s obsession with Catherine is something he is not able to recognize or understand for himself. Instead he focuses all his anger and frustration on Rodolfo. Rodolfo has no responsibilities and has a more frivolous, light-hearted attitude towards life. If it is this that Catherine finds attractive about Rodolfo, Eddie finds it repulsive and unmanly. Eddie is suspicious of Rodolfo’s interest in Catherine; he thinks that Rodolfo only wants to marry her in order to gain American citizenship. In the play evidence is given to prove this point when Eddie says ‘Katie, he is only bowing to his passport, he marries you and he’s got the right to be a citizen!’
It becomes clear to Catherine that Rodolfo’s intentions towards are honourable and motivated by his love for her. There is evidence of this when she tells Eddie that ‘he’s got all kinds of respect for me. And you to! We walk across the streets and he takes my arm – he almost bows to me! You got him all wrong’.
When you analyse the way in which Eddie talks, looks and acts towards Catherine gives you the impression that Eddie has feelings for her. Eddie has intense desires for Catherine and he wants to have a sexual relationship with his wife. This is shown when Beatrice says to Eddie ‘when am I gonna be a wife again’. Eddie makes excuses and says that he hasn’t been feeling good since Marco and Rodolfo moved in. Beatrice thinks that Eddie doesn’t find her sexually attractive anymore. It is shown when she says ‘what’s the matter Eddie, you don’t like me heh? She asks whether something is wrong.
As the tension rises the use of slang ever more evident, this shows their intelligence levels, and the sentences become shorter and shorter because they are too impatient to get their point of view across.
Beatrice is aware of a deeper, more disturbing reason for Eddie’s protectiveness towards Catherine. It becomes clear that she is unhappy about Eddie’s attitude to his niece and she is able to persuade Eddie to allow Catherine to start work.
But the problems go deeper; Beatrice has ‘other worries’ about when she is ‘gonna be a wife again’. The physical/sexual part of their marriage has broken down and despite challenging Eddie over this, Beatrice is unable to make Eddie realise what this might be or admit it to himself. Eddie no longer wants to have sex with Beatrice because of his sexual feelings towards Catherine. He calls her Madonna and they seem to have quite a close relationship, which goes deeper than an uncle, and niece relationship.
Eddie has been trying to conceal his desires for Catherine for himself and everyone else. He finds it frustrating because he knows that he can’t have her! This leads to further tension and drama between Beatrice and Eddie. Beatrice becomes increasingly frustrated as she realises how events will go. She knows that things will get out of hand with Eddie and Catherine. Eddie won’t be able to let go of Catherine and he will try to stop her from getting married to Rodolfo because he can’t have her. At the end of the play Beatrice tries to stop Eddie from going out to have it out with Marco because she knows how it will end. Eddie will get hurt or even worse killed. Before this happens Beatrice tells Eddie that she knows ‘what he wants but he can’t he can’t have her’. Beatrice has known all along and because of this Eddie accuses her of being jealous of Catherine. Eddie cannot have Catherine and because Rodolfo can, it creates further tension. Eddie dislikes Rodolfo because Rodolfo has what Eddie wants, Catherine.
Eddie creates tension by kissing Catherine because it is probably something he has fantasised about and now that he is drunk he has the courage to do it.
Eddie has been bottling up his feelings for Catherine and he tries to release them by kissing her because he is urged to.
When Eddie kisses Rodolfo, he is making a mockery of Rodolfo. Eddie may have kissed Rodolfo to prove a point to Catherine that Rodolfo is homosexual; Eddie has already implied this to Catherine. Eddie calls Rodolfo names such as Danish because of Rodolfo’s blonde hair and also the fact that he cooks and sings.
Eddie may have kissed Rodolfo as a cover up to divert attention from his kissing Catherine. This leads to drama and suspense because it leaves you wondering why Eddie kissed Catherine. So by kissing Rodolfo it creates a perfect diversion for his actions. The kiss could also be a sign of Eddie’s own suppressed homosexual feelings, an easy parallel with his kiss with Catherine. Miller seems to take no stand either way or the sexuality of Rudolpho and Eddie is unclear. However, the stereotypes of the gay man and social implications of being gay are obvious.
These are the themes that the scene is trying to present visually. Eddie is expressing his attraction towards Rodolfo and Catherine. In the play this is the only part where the attraction between Eddie and Catherine are expressed visually. The other parts of the play where Eddie expresses his feelings for Catherine are only in conversations between them.
Eddie is trying to be the boss by being controlling over everyone. He wants to remain the powerful one and show authority towards Catherine and Rodolfo. He is not willing to let anyone undermine his authority or to defy him.
Eddie is being over protective of Catherine and he finds it hard to let her go. Eddie is jealous of Rodolfo because Rodolfo is young and Catherine is in love with him. Eddie is being selfish; he wants to have Catherine all to himself. He doesn’t want her to grow up or to have a life of her own with anyone especially not Rodolfo.
Arthur Miller uses stage directions very well because it builds up a dramatic tension for what is about to happen in the scene. He uses this when Eddie kisses both Catherine and Rodolfo! He also uses exclamation marks after what has been said in a dramatic moment. It is used to emphasise the dramatic tension or command effect of what is being said.
In conclusion Miller uses many techniques to create tension throughout the play, and he was very successful in doing so and that is why the play appealed to so many people at the time, and still appeals to people nowadays. This act of manliness and the hostile behaviour from some characters towards others lead to aggression, which at the end, tend to escalate as we find out from the happenings at the end of the play. The hostile behaviour used throughout he play lead to death and destruction of a happy family. Eddie was not afraid of showing the two immigrants exactly how he felt about them and this finally lead to the downfall of him losing his social identity and of his death in the end.
