Eddie Carbone Essay

Eddie Carbone is a hard working, caring man but he is also jealous, over-protective and he exaggerates the idea of honour and masculinity which result into his own downfall. He is presented to the audience in contrast when he meets Alfieri compared to in his own house. However still the audience can manage to portray Eddie’s character by the way he talks, how others react to him and how the stage directions enhance his own actions. Eddie’s irrational and stereotyping nature can be seen along with his characteristic of respecting others and also honour. When Eddie is sitting beside the desk with his â€Å"(cap in hand)† it can be seen that he has a lot of respect for Alfieri. This trait appeals to the audience that he is not all a bad person and that he does have some good qualities within him. This comes important throughout the play because Miller has had to portray every character with some empathy from the audience otherwise there will be no reason to follow this character. Also, he takes honour very seriously and this can be seen when he tells Catherine the Vinny Bolzano story. This can be applied where Eddie is talking to Alfieri as well. For example, when Eddie is trying to explain to Alfieri the kind of person Rodolfo is, he â€Å"(takes a breath and glances briefly over each shoulder)†. This tells us as the audience that he needs to keep things confidential otherwise if this is out into the public, people may already suspect of him doing any wrongdoings later, like snitching. Eddie’s talks can only go as far as speculative and irrational. He cannot back up anything he says substantially. He makes Rodolfo seem homosexual by, â€Å"He ain’t right† and â€Å"If you came in the house and you didn’t know who was singing you wouldn’t be lookin’ for him, you would be lookin’ for her†. This shows us that he lacks in articulation and he can’t get his words right when he wants to prove something. This gives a strong sense of desperateness from Eddie and that he really wants Alfieri to do something about it. Because Eddie is hot tempered, he needs to be calmed down and Alfieri tries explaining to Eddie about Rodolfo. This is done through God by saying, â€Å"God mixes up the people†. Since Eddie is from an Italian background he would have strong religious beliefs as well. Therefore, Alfieri finds it easy to go past Eddie from religion’s point of view. However, Eddie replies back â€Å"(sardonically)† showing the audience that Eddie does not want to listen to anyone and that his stubbornness takes over his mind. Alfieri tells him there is no law on his side, and that he understands how Eddie feels, but he has to let Catherine go â€Å"sometimes there is too much love for the niece† but this makes Eddie angry – â€Å"a son-of-a-bitch punk like that†¦ I give him my house to sleep! I take the blankets off my bed for him, and he takes and puts his filthy hands on her like a goddam thief! † This use of strong language indicates Eddie’s belligerent character. He is verbally-limited so he uses strong language and this soon comes out into actions when he can’t express what he wants to say verbally. He wants to do everything physically which is his masculine attribute. This is very significant as it is the first time Eddie has let his true feelings known, and his raw emotion shows through, illuminating the flaw he retains.