How far do you agree that Miller wants the audience to blame Eddie for what happens during the play?

the beginning of the play. Basically Eddie will not

allow Catherine her freedom. If Catherine goes out

into the world of work she will socialise with men

everyday. This unsettles Eddie. Beatrice comments on

Eddie's relationship with Catherine on a number of

occasions. She tries to make him see that he is

smothering Catherine and is not allowing her the

independence she is entitled to.

"I don't understand you; she's seventeen

years old, you gonna keep her in the house

all her life"

Eddie is insulted by this remark and considers it as a

stupid thing to say. Miller try's to direct the audience

towards Eddie's bad points, instead of showing that

really he is interested in the well being of Catherine.

However the audience might not blame Eddie for his

attitude since he is her guardian and is just looking

out for her.

When the two cousins arrive, Eddie is quickly aware of

the attraction between Rodolpho and Catherine and

from this moment onwards Eddie does everything in his

power to break them apart. Eddie's reaction to

Rodolpho's cheerful attitude is not good and he makes

it clear that he does not like Rodolpho.

"That's a nice kid? He gives me the

heeby-jeebies."

Rodolpho's behaviour unsettles Eddie. He does not

regard him as a real man as he can cook, sing, make

dresses and the fact that he has blond hair.

"I mean if you came in the house and you didn't

know who was singing', you wouldn't be lookin' for

him you be lookin' for her"

Eddie begins to judge Rodolpho's sexuality and

accuses him of being a homosexual, in order to put

Catherine off him. Catherine is now very attracted to

Rodolpho and Eddie knows that she is no longer his

possession.

"Eddie: You like him, Katie?

Catherine: (with a blush but holding her ground)

Yeah. I like him"

The audience can see that when Eddie makes a

negative comment about Rodolpho, he does so out of

anger and frustration and that his attempts to keep

Catherine for himself are unsuccessful.

"And now I gotta sit in my own house and look at

a son of a bitch punk like that; and he takes and

puts his hands on her like a goddam thief!"

In a desperate attempt to force her to break up with

Rodolpho, Eddie accuses Rodolpho of using Catherine

to become an American citizen. However Eddie's

attempt to break them up might not be a desperate one,

he might genuinely believe this and fear this.

"Katie, he's only bowin' to his passport"

He hopes this will force her to break up with him.

However, his plan backfires. Miller attempts to toy

with the audience's emotions, trying to make them

sympathise for Catherine and Rodolpho. The audience

could also sympathise towards Eddie as his attempts to

save Catherine from heartache (in his eyes) have

failed.

Beatrice tries hard to tell Eddie that he must let

Catherine go, that he must allow her the freedom to

have a relationship with Rodolpho. It's not until the

end of the play that Beatrice says to Eddie that he

cannot have the relationship that he wants with

Catherine. But Eddie will not accept what she says (on

the surface). However the audience has no doubt that

what Beatrice has said is true. This is why he reacts in

such an explosive way - as if to shut out the truth.

"That's what you think me - that I would have such

thoughts (his fists clenched as though his head will

burst.)"

Miller is exposing Eddie's unnatural feelings towards

Catherine to the audience. Once again he is trying to

turn the audience against Eddie by making him fall in

love with the girl he is supposed to be the guardian of.

Eddie's jealousy becomes so fierce and he is so very

desperate to get rid of Rodolpho that he turns his back

on his family by ringing the Immigration Bureau, and

breaking the code of the street. This blends in with the

theme of law. When Marco exposes Eddie in the middle

of the street, the public can not even bear to cast their

eyes upon Eddie and they turn against him. Eddie

tries to plead his case, but nobody listens not even his

two friends "Louis and Mike".

"He's crazy! I give them the blankets off my bed.

Six months I kept like my own brothers!"

Miller wants the audience to blame Eddie and turn

against him just like the people in the street. Or he

might want us to feel sorry for the impossible situation

that Eddie is in.

In the end, when Catherine finds out what Eddie has

done, she launches a hostile attack on him. This is a

statement that she has now finally broken free from

him. The break in the relationship is now complete.

This is ironic as Eddie has pushed her into this.

Marco has a strong sense of justice and he feels that

his intention to punish Eddie is not a selfish one rather

that it is his duty to do so. If the law won't help him

then he will take the law into his own hands. Although

Marco was praying in the church before he

approached Eddie, we are still not certain that Marco

would have killed Eddie if Eddie had not pulled out a

knife on him. Miller does not allow Marco to express

any sorrow or regret for Eddie's death. This is how he

wants the audience to react, to show no remorse or

sympathy. However the audience's reaction is

balanced by Alfieri's closing speech, throughout the

play Alfieri tries to understand Eddie instead of

blaming him like most of the other characters.

I believe that Eddie is partly to blame for everything

that happens in the play including his own death. If

Eddie did not pull out a knife on Marco, Marco might

not have killed him. Also Eddie's feelings towards

Catherine are unnatural, and he found it impossible

for Catherine to have a life of her own apart from her

relationship with him. Eddie's reaction to Rodolpho

demonstrates how emotionally unstable he is and how

irrational he can be. Eddie is deeply aware of the

nature, and the consequences, that follow of betraying

an immigrant to the authorities, but when his own cosy

relationship with Catherine is threatened he is

prepared to break the code of honour. If Eddie did not

betray Marco he would not have been in the situation

that he was in. However Eddie was only thinking of

the well being of Catherine and didn't mean her any

harm.