Focusing on the first scene Essay Example for Free

Focusing on the first scene Essay At the beginning of the play, from Alfieris monologue you can tell that there is constant tension between the people in the neighbourhood because of when he says how I often think that behind that suspicious little nod of theirs lie three thousand years of distrust. This shows that this trust hasnt been broken recently, it has been going back generations upon generations. The comment Oh, there were many here who were justly shot by unjust men. Justice is very important here says to the reader that no matter how much violence it may lead to it will be done, and in the hands of the Italian civilians. They dont go to the police and instead fight it out themselves. Things are obviously starting to calm down now though because Alfieri no longer keeps a pistol in his filing cabinet and says that people are now quite civilized, quite American. When we first meet the Carbone family, we see an excited Catherine welcoming Eddie home from a long day of working in the docks. Catherine obviously has been waiting around for his approval of her new dress because she is very excited when she asks him what he thinks, (running her hands over her skirt) I just got it. You like it? and when he also asks about her hair change she wants his immediate approval. Eddie delivers with flattering comments like oh, your mother was alive to see you now and you look like one of them girls that went to college which is a complement in itself because it is saying she looks smart and sophisticated and not like any average person. Eddies comment about how the dress looks a bit short when she sits down and how she walks is what reveals his protectiveness over her and how she may look attractive to other men. Listen, you been giving me the willies the way you walk down the street Im telling you youre walking wavy He doesnt like that she may seem attractive to other guys in the neighbourhood. This upsets Catherine because Eddies approval obviously must mean so much to her. She even almost breaks into tears because he disapproves of how she walks. Eddie has always treated Catherine like a baby, even now when shes 17 years old he says Youre a baby, you dont understand these things. when he talks about her waving to Louis he warns her that I could tell you things about Louis which you wouldnt wave to him no more. Louis is obviously not the nice guy that Catherine thinks he his and seems like he has a dark past. From Catherines comment about how I wish there was one guy you couldnt tell me about means that Eddies has a dark story about every guy in the neighbourhood which is so bad it would actually lead to an end of conversation between them and Catherine. Beatrice and Eddies relationship has an obvious problem which is that he has more feelings for Catherine than he does for Beatrice. Which Beatrice realises but Eddie doesnt. At the beginning Beatrice isnt so open about the fact that she knows Eddies has feelings for his niece, but after some time she starts to argue with Eddie whenever its just them left in the room. But right now at the beginning Beatrice doesnt speak it out. When Eddie tells Catherine that Beatrices cousins have landed, B. is very concerned about how the house looks and that she hasnt bought a new table cloth (astounded and afraid) Im I just I cant believe it! I didnt even buy a new tablecloth; I was gonna wash the walls. Eddie is actually a nice and caring person and not just the guy who brings in the money. He reassures Beatrice that Listen, theyll think its a millionaires house compared to the way they live this calms her down a bit but she is still a little doubtful until Eddie says Youre saving their lives, whatre you worrying about the table cloth? They probably didnt see a tablecloth in their whole life where they come from which begins to calm her down. When Beatrice and Catherine reveal to Eddie that Catherine may start working, it isnt surprising that Eddie is worried because he has feelings for her and obviously doesnt want her to go to work and meet other men. Also Eddie obviously usually has say in the house because as soon as they say Catherine has a job he replies with what job? Shes gonna finish school. When Catherine tries to change his mind he interrupts her and says No no, you gonna finish school. It seems everything has to go through eddies approval before anybody can make any changes to anything. But when the two women manage to get him to half agree he still isnt sure about it. The stage direction showing that hes strangely nervous proves this. It seems like there is no end to his questions because it goes from wheres the job? What company? to Nostrand Avenue and where? to what about all the stuff you wouldnt learn this year though. Eddie is just trying to keep Catherine at school so she will still be living in the house. If she makes her own money sooner or later she will move away. If she has been offered a job and been told she is the best student in the class there is no more for her to learn. Then it turns to That aint what I wanted, though. Which shows that Eddie had a plan set out for Catherine this whole time which would probably keep her in the house for as long as possible and now she wont be following it. He still tries to convince her that she shouldnt go to work by saying Near the Navy Yard plenty can happen in a block and a half. And a plumbing company! Thats one step over the water front. Theyre practically longshoremen. Eddie himself is a longshoreman so this obviously means if she is going to leave he wants her to leave to better people than himself or Louis or the plumbers at her stenography job. Beatrice replies with Yeah, but shell be in the office, Eddie but again its not what Eddie had in mind. He had had good intentions for Catherine because he wanted her to be with different kind of people. I want you to be in a nice office. Maybe a lawyers office in New York in one of them nice buildings. He obviously doesnt want her to go because when Beatrice tells him to think about it (he is silent, staring down at the tablecloth, fingering the pattern). Beatrice tells him that shell get out of the subway and be in the office in two minutes but Eddie is somehow sickened by the idea of her working in that neighbourhood. After some time Eddie actually agrees to let her work, Catherine is excited and says that she will buy new dishes with her first pay and Eddie replies with a sudden and then youll move away Catherine denies this accusation but Eddie still carries on with Why not? Thats life. And youll come visit on Sundays, then once a month, then Christmas and New Years, finally Catherine again denies the accusation but Eddie is hurt that she will be leaving him and the house and this shows he isnt ready to move on yet.