There are different forms in which love is demonstrated and in the play these types are present.
Selflessness
· The most obvious example of this one is Marco leaving to a foreign country where he does not speak the language well and has illegal status in order to feed his starving and disease stricken family; ‘The older one is sick in his chest. My wife – she feeds them from her own mouth…if I stay there they will never grow up’. Marco’s wife exhibits this very same selflessness. Marco and his wife could have survived but at the cost of not feeding their children a price Marco is not willing to pay.
· This is hugely important as this is the reason for Marco coming to America and I believe without Marco, Rodolfo would not have gone to America. This prevents the sequence of events we see in the play from even happening.
Placing feelings of others above personal pride
· There is one large paradox on this specific area in the play: -
1. Rodolfo puts his pride below the happiness of Catherine. The scene in which this occurs is when Rodolfo goes to Eddie seeking forgiveness even though this is not actually what he believes; ‘It is my fault…Everything. I wish to apologize’ (p62). Rodolfo also does this to prevent another conflict between Eddie and Marco. This could be the case as Marco is more likely to defeat Eddie in an armed conflict therefore the legal consequences of the fight might fall on Marco. In turn this would have a devastating effect on his family, something Rodolfo does not want to occur. This however could be put down to Rodolfo simply loving Marco and not wanting to loose him because of him dying in the fight or simply being taken back to Italy. I believe it is a combination of both factors but none of them detract from the slightly humiliating act Rodolfo has just performed.
2. The complete opposite of what occurred above happens a few moments before. This is when Beatrice is about to go to the wedding of Catherine and Eddie essentially blackmails Beatrice both financially and emotionally by saying ‘You walk out that door to that wedding you ain’t comin’ back here’ (p60). This both means that she won’t have a roof over her head and also a husband who she loves very much by staying with him. If he would have decided to go, he would be sacrificing his own personal pride in order to make Catherine content and Beatrice pleased to see her niece’s wedding. By not doing this Eddie is being incredibly selfish.
· These two scenes highlight the hugely contrasting personalities of Rodolfo and Eddie. This led to the friction between the two and this conflict is the main plot of the play so it is essential for the play. There is also another plot at the heart of the play and that is in the following section.
Changing one’s life for love
· One could argue that Marco leaving it falls under this category but I will focus on one specific example of this. Catherine’s relationship with Rodolfo and how she is willing to leave her somewhat comfortable schoolgirl life in order to live with an illegal immigrant having her main figure of admiration, Eddie, frown upon their marriage. This is seen when Catherine says ‘I think I can’t stay here no more’ however she is torn between Rodolfo and Eddie. We know this as then she says ‘I’ll be around the neighbourhood; I’ll see you’. This is completely inconsistent on Catherine’s part since she is looking for a new life but she wants it to be founded close to Eddie. However Catherine shows her allegiance with Rodolfo by ‘I just can’t stay here no more’.
· This reluctance for change is seen but at a higher level by Eddie, as he never wants Catherine to leave. This is pointed out by Beatrice on p11; ‘First it was gonna be when she graduated high school, so she graduated high school. Then it was gonna be when she learned stenographer…So what’re we gonna wait for now’. This point is echoed throughout the play but his reason for this is that he ‘knows that neighbourhood’ and he ‘don’t like it’ (p10). This means that his reason for not letting her go is for her own protection. The same goes to when he doesn’t want Catherine and Rodolfo to get married as Eddie says ‘Katie, he’s (Rodolfo) is only bowin’ to his passport’ (p28) meaning Rodolfo only wants to marry Catherine to get an American passport. This could simply be Eddie looking out for Catherine as if the above is true Rodolfo will break her heart.
· What however are the real reasons for Eddie being so ‘caring’ of Catherine future?
Eddie and Catherine’s relationship
· There is in the play a slight mystery or ambiguous point and that is what are Eddie’s feelings towards Catherine. There is not any clear evidence for one theory or another but there are definitely some lines in the play that hint at different ideas in respect to this topic.
· The most obvious reason for Eddie not wanting Catherine to leave to get a job or marry Rodolfo is that he is very afraid of Catherine being hurt both physically by ‘the plumbers’ and by Rodolfo ‘bowin down to his passport’. I believe however that this is not the case as if she was not able to defend herself and control her emotions by definition she is a ‘baby’. Eddie on the other hand uses the words ‘baby’ and ‘big girl’ to suit his argument. An example of this is on p6; ‘You’re a baby, you don’t understand these things’ and only a few moments later Eddie says ‘ You’re getting’ to be a big girl now’ completely inconsistent with what he has just said. This shows that Eddie refers to Catherine differently depending if it works with his argument thus proving that he just wants control over Catherine. The main question is why does he want to have control over Catherine? : -
1. It could just be that Eddie is domineering and likes the sensation of having power over people. This is certainly the case with Beatrice as he is consistently struggling with her over decisions. The key example of this is when Beatrice is constantly undermining the reasons why Catherine shouldn’t work; ‘I know she’ll be in an office, but that ain’t what I had in mind (Eddie)’ and Beatrice replies ‘Listen, she gotta go to work sometime’. The argument seems more between Eddie and Beatrice than Catherine and Eddie. This makes Eddie loose control so he finds a way to regain it by talking about spiders which Beatrice said ‘she nearly died’ when she saw one. Eddie announces ‘You call that a spider? You oughta see what comes outa the bananas sometimes…/Don’t talk about it! .../I seen spiders that could stop a Buick…/shut up!’ (p12). Eddie now has got back at Beatrice and regained ‘control’.
2. The other reason could be that Eddie has repressed sexual feelings towards Catherine. This could be the reason why he wants Catherine to stay and there are two important actions or lines that could be interpreted to prove that he secretly loves Catherine in the sexual use of the word. On page 47 Eddie ‘reaches out suddenly, draws her (Catherine) to him, and as she strives to free herself he kisses her on the mouth’. This is obvious why people believe Eddie had sexual feelings towards Catherine. The fact however that Eddie was drunk keeps the sense that the viewer cannot know the truth for certain.
At the bottom of p62 Beatrice says ‘You want somethin’ else, Eddie, and you can never have her!’ Beatrice is referring to Catherine (‘her’) but again there is ambiguity as it could mean Eddie can’t keep Catherine forever. It could equally mean that Eddie cannot have sexual relations with Catherine which also explains why Eddie has not been satisfying Beatrice’s sexual needs.
· Eddie’s reluctance for Catherine to leave him is the cause of the entire conflicts in the play. Conflicts are the reason for all drama and this makes a play interesting and entertaining for an audience therefore without Eddie’s apparent ‘overprotectiveness’ the play would not have been appealing to the public.
Conclusion
· Throughout the whole play everyone is motivated or spurred into action by love towards another human being. This true for: -
o Marco leaving to America to feed his family; ‘if I stay there (Italy) they (Marco’s children) will never grow up’ (p18).
o Beatrice staying with Eddie rather than going to the wedding; ‘Now go, go to your wedding, Katie, I’ll stay home’ (p61).
o Rodolfo apologising to Eddie to help their relationship which in turn will make Catherine happier since she still loves Eddie; ‘It is my fault…Everything. I wish to apologize’ (p62).
· This means that is a major and extremely important theme in the play as all the characters did exactly what they did for others even if their beliefs are distorted. Without Love the play would not have functioned and would have a storyline therefore fundamental aspect to the play.
Selflessness
· The most obvious example of this one is Marco leaving to a foreign country where he does not speak the language well and has illegal status in order to feed his starving and disease stricken family; ‘The older one is sick in his chest. My wife – she feeds them from her own mouth…if I stay there they will never grow up’. Marco’s wife exhibits this very same selflessness. Marco and his wife could have survived but at the cost of not feeding their children a price Marco is not willing to pay.
· This is hugely important as this is the reason for Marco coming to America and I believe without Marco, Rodolfo would not have gone to America. This prevents the sequence of events we see in the play from even happening.
Placing feelings of others above personal pride
· There is one large paradox on this specific area in the play: -
1. Rodolfo puts his pride below the happiness of Catherine. The scene in which this occurs is when Rodolfo goes to Eddie seeking forgiveness even though this is not actually what he believes; ‘It is my fault…Everything. I wish to apologize’ (p62). Rodolfo also does this to prevent another conflict between Eddie and Marco. This could be the case as Marco is more likely to defeat Eddie in an armed conflict therefore the legal consequences of the fight might fall on Marco. In turn this would have a devastating effect on his family, something Rodolfo does not want to occur. This however could be put down to Rodolfo simply loving Marco and not wanting to loose him because of him dying in the fight or simply being taken back to Italy. I believe it is a combination of both factors but none of them detract from the slightly humiliating act Rodolfo has just performed.
2. The complete opposite of what occurred above happens a few moments before. This is when Beatrice is about to go to the wedding of Catherine and Eddie essentially blackmails Beatrice both financially and emotionally by saying ‘You walk out that door to that wedding you ain’t comin’ back here’ (p60). This both means that she won’t have a roof over her head and also a husband who she loves very much by staying with him. If he would have decided to go, he would be sacrificing his own personal pride in order to make Catherine content and Beatrice pleased to see her niece’s wedding. By not doing this Eddie is being incredibly selfish.
· These two scenes highlight the hugely contrasting personalities of Rodolfo and Eddie. This led to the friction between the two and this conflict is the main plot of the play so it is essential for the play. There is also another plot at the heart of the play and that is in the following section.
Changing one’s life for love
· One could argue that Marco leaving it falls under this category but I will focus on one specific example of this. Catherine’s relationship with Rodolfo and how she is willing to leave her somewhat comfortable schoolgirl life in order to live with an illegal immigrant having her main figure of admiration, Eddie, frown upon their marriage. This is seen when Catherine says ‘I think I can’t stay here no more’ however she is torn between Rodolfo and Eddie. We know this as then she says ‘I’ll be around the neighbourhood; I’ll see you’. This is completely inconsistent on Catherine’s part since she is looking for a new life but she wants it to be founded close to Eddie. However Catherine shows her allegiance with Rodolfo by ‘I just can’t stay here no more’.
· This reluctance for change is seen but at a higher level by Eddie, as he never wants Catherine to leave. This is pointed out by Beatrice on p11; ‘First it was gonna be when she graduated high school, so she graduated high school. Then it was gonna be when she learned stenographer…So what’re we gonna wait for now’. This point is echoed throughout the play but his reason for this is that he ‘knows that neighbourhood’ and he ‘don’t like it’ (p10). This means that his reason for not letting her go is for her own protection. The same goes to when he doesn’t want Catherine and Rodolfo to get married as Eddie says ‘Katie, he’s (Rodolfo) is only bowin’ to his passport’ (p28) meaning Rodolfo only wants to marry Catherine to get an American passport. This could simply be Eddie looking out for Catherine as if the above is true Rodolfo will break her heart.
· What however are the real reasons for Eddie being so ‘caring’ of Catherine future?
Eddie and Catherine’s relationship
· There is in the play a slight mystery or ambiguous point and that is what are Eddie’s feelings towards Catherine. There is not any clear evidence for one theory or another but there are definitely some lines in the play that hint at different ideas in respect to this topic.
· The most obvious reason for Eddie not wanting Catherine to leave to get a job or marry Rodolfo is that he is very afraid of Catherine being hurt both physically by ‘the plumbers’ and by Rodolfo ‘bowin down to his passport’. I believe however that this is not the case as if she was not able to defend herself and control her emotions by definition she is a ‘baby’. Eddie on the other hand uses the words ‘baby’ and ‘big girl’ to suit his argument. An example of this is on p6; ‘You’re a baby, you don’t understand these things’ and only a few moments later Eddie says ‘ You’re getting’ to be a big girl now’ completely inconsistent with what he has just said. This shows that Eddie refers to Catherine differently depending if it works with his argument thus proving that he just wants control over Catherine. The main question is why does he want to have control over Catherine? : -
1. It could just be that Eddie is domineering and likes the sensation of having power over people. This is certainly the case with Beatrice as he is consistently struggling with her over decisions. The key example of this is when Beatrice is constantly undermining the reasons why Catherine shouldn’t work; ‘I know she’ll be in an office, but that ain’t what I had in mind (Eddie)’ and Beatrice replies ‘Listen, she gotta go to work sometime’. The argument seems more between Eddie and Beatrice than Catherine and Eddie. This makes Eddie loose control so he finds a way to regain it by talking about spiders which Beatrice said ‘she nearly died’ when she saw one. Eddie announces ‘You call that a spider? You oughta see what comes outa the bananas sometimes…/Don’t talk about it! .../I seen spiders that could stop a Buick…/shut up!’ (p12). Eddie now has got back at Beatrice and regained ‘control’.
2. The other reason could be that Eddie has repressed sexual feelings towards Catherine. This could be the reason why he wants Catherine to stay and there are two important actions or lines that could be interpreted to prove that he secretly loves Catherine in the sexual use of the word. On page 47 Eddie ‘reaches out suddenly, draws her (Catherine) to him, and as she strives to free herself he kisses her on the mouth’. This is obvious why people believe Eddie had sexual feelings towards Catherine. The fact however that Eddie was drunk keeps the sense that the viewer cannot know the truth for certain.
At the bottom of p62 Beatrice says ‘You want somethin’ else, Eddie, and you can never have her!’ Beatrice is referring to Catherine (‘her’) but again there is ambiguity as it could mean Eddie can’t keep Catherine forever. It could equally mean that Eddie cannot have sexual relations with Catherine which also explains why Eddie has not been satisfying Beatrice’s sexual needs.
· Eddie’s reluctance for Catherine to leave him is the cause of the entire conflicts in the play. Conflicts are the reason for all drama and this makes a play interesting and entertaining for an audience therefore without Eddie’s apparent ‘overprotectiveness’ the play would not have been appealing to the public.
Conclusion
· Throughout the whole play everyone is motivated or spurred into action by love towards another human being. This true for: -
o Marco leaving to America to feed his family; ‘if I stay there (Italy) they (Marco’s children) will never grow up’ (p18).
o Beatrice staying with Eddie rather than going to the wedding; ‘Now go, go to your wedding, Katie, I’ll stay home’ (p61).
o Rodolfo apologising to Eddie to help their relationship which in turn will make Catherine happier since she still loves Eddie; ‘It is my fault…Everything. I wish to apologize’ (p62).
· This means that is a major and extremely important theme in the play as all the characters did exactly what they did for others even if their beliefs are distorted. Without Love the play would not have functioned and would have a storyline therefore fundamental aspect to the play.
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