Rodolfo/ Rodolpho: his importance To A view from The Bridge

Rodolpho/ Rodolfo:Eddie hates him. In Eddie's eyes, Rodolpho is the spawn of Satan. The evil blond Italian, who has come to steal Catherine away. Eddie isn't the most reliable source.What do we know about him? We know he is Italian.He comes from the lovely isle of Sicily, which is apparently loaded with fountains and orange trees but is a little short on jobs. We also know that he likes to sing and he's pretty good at it. He tends to do this in inappropriate locations like Eddie's apartment and down at the docks. Other favorite pastimes include: dancing, sewing, cooking, long walks on the beach…OK, we're not sure about the beach part. The fact is that we really aren't sure about a lot of things concerning Rodolpho. Eddie interprets all the traits we've just mentioned as sure signs that Rodolpho is gay. Yes, Rodolpho may be gay. Then again, Eddie could just be desperately grasping for any reason to get Catherine back. We can't know for sure.Eddie also accuses Rodolpho of just wanting to marry Catherine so that he can become an American citizen. Once again, Eddie may be right about this. Catherine straight up asks Rodolpho about it, saying, "Would you still want to do it if it turned out we had to go live in Italy?" (2.36). Loverboy replies, "No; I will not marry you to live in Italy. I want you to be my wife, and I want to be a citizen" (2.43). Probably not exactly what she wants to hear. Of course, you have to ask yourself, would a guy who's trying to trick her give such an honest answer? If he was a total sleaze, wouldn't he be all, "Yes, yes, anything for you my precious darling." Then again he may super crafty. He may have just said that because he knows that's what an honest person would say.