Beatrice thinks that Eddie is being really over reactive and argues with him about it because she understands Catherine’s point of view and knows she needs to start making her own choices now that she is old enough to do so. Beatrice puts her point across strongly by saying “You gotta get used to it, she’s no baby no more. Tell her to take it. You hear me? I don’t understand you; she’s seventeen years old, you gonna keep her in this house all her life?”
Beatrice thinks Eddie is being like this because he thinks of her as a little girl and wants to keep her safe, although now she is a young women and capable of a lot more, I don’t think Beatrice at this time is at all aware of Eddies underlying feelings for Catherine, that are basically more of a sexual nature than ones of a father.
Noticing Catherine’s unknowingly childishness Beatrice has a talk with her saying, if she wants Eddie to start thinking she’s a young woman now, she has to start acting older and thinking independently, as she gives an example “Like when he comes home sometimes you still throw yourself at him like when you were twelve years old.”
Catherine still thinks she’s a child and respects what Eddie says too much, Beatrice explains to her by saying “it an’t only up to him” that she needs to make her own decisions for now on. She warns Catherine that if she carries on acting the way she does around Eddie then he will never start treating her like a young woman.
Rodolpho is an illegal immigrant that came over on a boat from Italy with his brother Marco, they are both Beatrice’s cousins, that is why Beatrice and Eddie put them up in their apartment until the get on their feet in America.
From the moment Catherine sees Rodolpho she is immediately attracted to him, with his young, blond good looks. Her intensions are made obvious as she quickly inquires if he is married or not (Which he is not, she is pleased to hear).
As the play goes on Catherine has a growing love for Rodolpho, as he is good looking, young, friendly, sociable, amusing and entertaining, as he shows off his talents by singing for them.
As Catherine and Rodolpho’s relationship develops throughout the play, Eddie builds up hatred toward Rodolpho and protests against them being together. Rodolpho coming onto the scene makes Eddie’s true feelings for Catherine obvious as his reaction to him shows that he is jealous of the sort of affection and love that Catherine is showing for him.
The first comment Eddie makes of Rodolpho to Beatrice is that “He gives me the heeby-jeebies.” Whilst he is obviously a nice young man because Beatrice says “He’s a nice kid”. Eddie from then on tries criticising Rodolpho as much as he can to deter Catherine’s affection for him, although he does not succeed.
The first criticism that he makes of him is that “he keeps her out too late” when they go to the movies or the theatre, which Beatrice thinks is perfectly fine, so he is over reacting again. His other criticisms include him having a feminine nature, suggesting that he is a homosexual, other men on the waterfront laugh at him and not with him when he tells his jokes etc. All of these criticisms are untrue as everyone apart from Eddie enjoys his company.
In the end Eddie is resorting to petty in a desperate attempt to prove Rodolpho being gay, he kisses him and claims that because he didn’t try hard enough to pull away then he must be (Which is completely untrue).
After Catherine sleeps with Rodolpho, she becomes completely besotted with him and intends to marry him. When she sees how resistant and intrusive Eddie is being in her relationship she loses all of her respect for him and becomes scared instead of comforted when she is around him.
She develops an intense dislike to Eddie after he kisses both her and Rodolpho, which insult him greatly, as he is not a homosexual. At this point after Eddie kisses Catherine on the lips, Rodolpho draws attention to the fact that Eddie has no real respect for any of them as Rodolpho demands to Eddie “Have respect for her!” in an attempt to pry him off her. This finally shows Eddie’s true colours to Catherine as she can now see that he is so desperate to get her back he is willing to do anything. Now that she has a new man in her life to look after her and protect her she is no longer scared of losing Eddie as a father figure.
GCSE ENGLISH
‘A view from the Bridge’ by Arthur Miller
