The men would go to work each day, bringing home money for the family and the women would have stayed at home raising the kids and up keeping the house. In Red Hook, where it was predominately Italians who came from Italy to work, the men most certainty would be working at the docks as it would be fast, easy money. The audience will be able to tap into these roles, both modern and contemporary audiences, and they would have probably expected it due to the time the play was set. The apparent roles of women and men is seen quite clearly as Miller does emphasise a lot on the masculinity side through the behaviour and actions of those in the play.
Miller presents Eddie initially coming in from a day of work as hard working, high-figured, protective character in his family. The audience will see this and begin to pick it up through the things he say, how he says it and the way he acts.
The image of the hard worker comes from one of the first things he says. His friend Louis asks if he is working the next day and Eddie replies with: ‘’ Yeah, there’s another day yet on that ship’’ which shows Eddie
The high figure statue comes from the way, his niece Catherine dotes on him as he arrives, almost begging for his approval with her new look and making sure he is sat comfortable from his day of work. She continuously asks him, “You like it?’’, taking him by the arm, leading him to his armchair and offering him beer. She sits on her heels beside him, almost implying that she is ‘’looking up to him’’ from where she’s sat when talking.
Eddie appears to be very protective over his niece through the things he says. Such as:
“I think it’s too short aint it?’’,
“Listen you been giving me the willies the way you walk down the street, I mean it”,
“I don’t like the looks they’re givin’ you in the candy store”,
“The heads are turning like windmills”,
“You ain’t all the girls”
Eddie is presented first to show that he is the protagonist of the story and the one we will watch develop in character through the play. Miller wanted to show us who the main masculine character will be. The fact that the first main character is male also shows that masculinity is a major element to the play.
Eddie and Beatrice fit hand in hand with the masculine and feminine roles. The first presentations of the pair highlight it already with Eddie coming in from work and Catherine calling to Beatrice who is working in the kitchen. “[Calling to the kitchen] He’s here, B.!” This immediately emphasises the roles and stereotypes of “The women’s place is in the kitchen.’’ Which obviously Miller wanted to present.
Miller further presents the masculine and feminine roles with Beatrice, once hearing that her cousins are arriving that evening, panics about the appearance of the home. “I didn’t even buy a new tablecloth; I was gonna wash the walls -… I was gonna wax the floors, [she stands disturbed]” Miller emphasise Beatrice’s frenzy to highlight the role of women in that time even more to the degree that the male role, [Eddie] has to come in and save the day.
“You’re savin’ their lives, what’re you worrying about the tablecloth? ...It’s an honour, B. … Suppose my father didn’t come to this country and I was starvin’ like them over there … and I has people in America could keep me a couple of months? The man would be honoured to lend me a place to sleep.”
Beatrice then wells up with tears, complementing Eddie with ‘’angel’’; “God’ll bless you”; “you’’ get a blessing for this!” This shows that Eddie is the one who knows how to straighten things up in home and put things back into order. The role of a male.
Beatrice and Catherine lay and dish out the meal then once the meal has finished, clear and wash the dishes, All whilst Eddie sits down and watched the work been done. This is very typical of the 1950’s men and women roles and Miller plays with them, making the masculine role more evident and solid.
When Beatrice and Eddie are together there is sometimes an air of tension which appears in imply that there is lack of sex in the relationship.
‘[There is a slight pause and Eddie turns to Beatrice who has been avoiding his gaze]’
Eddie: “What are you mad at me lately?”
Beatrice: “Who’s mad?”…
Eddie: “What worries you got?”
Beatrice: “when am I gonna be a wife again, Eddie?”
This shows that the relationship between the two isn’t as strong as a married couple should be. Eddie isn’t living up to his expectations of a man, and giving Beatrice the feeling of being a complete wife.
Eddie replies with “I ain’t been feeling good. They bother me since they came”
Beatrice then fires back saying that the cousins have only been there for a couple of weeks where as Eddie hasn’t been ‘’feeling good’’ for three months. Eddie then retreats to himself with “I don’t know B; I don’t want to talk about it.”
Eddie doesn’t want to make an effort with trying to resolve this. He doesn’t want to make an effort with Beatrice and he doesn’t want to make an effort with the relationship. This can be said be a male trait, that when there’s trouble with the missus, the first reaction is to avoid the situation and shut off. Through this way Miller presents another illustration of masculinity.
When it comes to Catherine it is realised that Eddie takes quite an interest in her. With her appearance, behaviour and general relationship, making an effort to keep her under his wing, and when this starts to go wrong, he fights harder and harder to keep her there through different ways.
It’s already seen in the beginning in the play that Eddie is very concerned with Catherine through her dressing.
“I think it’s too short” he says about a dress.
“I don’t like the looks they’re givin’ you in the candy store. And with them new high heels on the sidewalk- clack, clack, clack. The heads are turnin’ like windmills”
These remarks express the way a father figure would say, which is thought about Eddie at first, and these comments are only looked at in an overprotective way.
But as the play goes on, and situations arise that make Eddie to express his unlawful, latent love for Catherine, Eddie becomes more protective and aware of Catherine’s actions.
For example when Eddie relises that there is obviously chemistry between Rooldfo and Catherine, he tells her to go take off her heels, causing her embarresment and looking small infront of Roldofo.
“What’s the high heels for, Garbo?”
“I figured for tonight-“
“Do me a favour, will you? Go ahead.”