Eddie has strong feelings for her because he has brought her up for his whole working life.
This part of story is about Beatrice and how she thinks the marriage is falling apart because Eddie doesn’t spend anytime with her no more and how she doesn’t feel like she is his wife because he isn’t treating like one.
Eddie starts to get angry with Rodolfo for many reasons, Catherine falls in love with Rodolfo and Eddie is worried about Rodolfo’s sexuality because he sings, makes dresses and cooks, his makes Eddie think Rodolfo is homosexual. This point shows that Eddie has feelings for Catherine and is jealous. His feelings for Catherine start to become very clear when he starts talking to Alfieri about Rodolfo.
The Relationship between Eddie and Rodolfo
Before Eddie knew Rodolfo was coming to stay in America, he was happy because he had everything he wanted and was fond of Catherine.
As soon as Rodolfo was invited to the house, Eddie dislikes him straight away because he is flirting with Catherine and Eddie doesn’t approve of it. He tries and finds every excuse for Catherine not to go on the date with Rodolfo but Beatrice lets them go together.
Beatrice realises that something is wrong with Eddie and she explains how that she doesn’t feel like a wife to Eddie anymore because they are having marriage problems.
When Rodolfo and Catherine come back from their date, Eddie is very angry because they came back late. After they get into a conversation, Eddie is worried about Rodolfo’s sexuality because of the hobbies he is into. Rodolfo’s hobbies are cooking, singing and making dresses. Later on that evening, Eddie teaches Rodolfo how to box, a manly sports according to him. Eddie gets very violent because he is angry with himself and Rodolfo.
He also thinks that Rodolfo is using Catherine to get his papers to become a legal citizen in America. He goes and asks Alfieri (Greek Chorus and Lawyer), for advice, Alfieri says that he could just have weird hobbies and be normal gentleman falling in love with a girl. He realises that the feelings he had for his niece are becoming stronger the more Rodolfo is around.
Eddie doesn’t understand why everyone is sticking up for him especially the people who are closest to him.
The Relationship between Eddie and Catherine
Eddie has raised Catherine as his own daughter and his become very fond of her. At the beginning of the story she finds and job and Eddie wants her to finish her studies but he is only doing that to protect from meeting any new people.
The relationship between Eddie and Catherine seems very normal at first. Eddie is an overprotective guardian of his niece. However, through the Eddie's actions and various clues from other characters, Eddie's romantic feelings toward Catherine are revealed. The first indication of Eddie's sexual desires is Eddie's delight as Catherine lights his cigar. The warm and affectionate act between nice and uncle has an obvious phallic meaning in this context.
Eddie's jealousy of Rodolfo causes him to reveal his second secret. Eddie betrays Rodolfo and Marco out of his love for Catherine, but will not acknowledge this love. Because Eddie never completely denies his feelings to either Beatrice or Alfieri, but rather brushes them off, it seems he may be unconsciously aware of them. This unconscious knowledge of sexual taboo drives Eddie into a self-serving and destructive madness that he cannot control. Eddie's greatest fear is not Marco, Rodolfo, or even the loss of his name. What Eddie fears most is the disclosure of his secrets—he fears his own being.
Italian Immigration
Italy in 1955 was a very poor country. During World War 2, Italy - ruled by the Fascist Mussolini - had initially fought alongside Nazi Germany. Yet the Italians became increasingly anxious about their role in the war and about Fascism, and in 1943, Mussolini was deposed by Victor Emmanuel III, the king of Italy. Italy then switched sides in the war and supported the British allies, but suffered huge loses in northern towns and villages as the Nazis tried to take revenge. After the war, following a referendum, the monarchy was abolished and a republic was established.
However, the economy was slow to grow, especially in the south, which was less industrialized. With no jobs and no prospects, it was not surprising that many people decided to try their luck in 'rich' America. There was a thriving trade in illegal immigration, encouraged by the dockyard owners, who knew that they could get cheap labour from immigrants until they had paid for their passage over. Once they had paid their fare, the immigrants were left to make their own way.
