A View from the Bridge

Alfieri says that “Eddie Carbone never expected to have a destiny” (397). Yet, he notes, Eddie now has a future, and trouble is brewing for him “that would not go away” (397). The action resumes in the doorway of the house that contains Eddie’s apartment two weeks after the arrival of Marco and Rodolpho. Eddie is waiting for Catherine and Rodolpho to return from the cinema in the evening. Beatrice asks Eddie why he is so concerned about what Rodolpho does. Eddie responds that he does not trust Rodolpho because he sings on the ships when he is working. This comment leads to an argument between Beatrice and Eddie. Beatrice asks Eddie “when am I gonna be a wife again?” (399), as Eddie has not slept with her in three months. She also tells Eddie that Catherine is almost 18 and that he needs to let her make her own decisions.

When Beatrice goes into the house, Eddie is approached by Mike and Louis, two longshoremen Eddie knows, who ask him if he wants to go bowling. Eddie declines. Mike and Louis tell Eddie about their experience working with Marco and Rodolpho. Marco, they say, is “a regular bull” (400), a strong, tireless worker.