A View from the Bridge

A View From The Bridge - Arthur Miller

 

Brief Synopsis:

Alfieri, a lawyer and the narrator, introduces the setting: Red Hook, a slum in Brooklyn. He introduces the Carbone family- Eddie, his wife Beatrice and their orphaned niece Catherine who are poor yet content. Beatrice's cousins, Marco and Rodolpho, two illegal immigrants arrive to stay with the Carbone's and a power struggle occurs between the men. Alfieri shows a 'view from the bridge',the bridge between law and justice, two big themes within the play.

 

Main Characters:

Eddie Carbone-

A longshoreman. A inarticulate uneducated character, who possesses a secret desire for his niece, Catherine which results in his eventual demise.

Beatrice Carbone-

Eddie's wife. A warm and caring women, much more reasonable than her husband.

Catherine Carbone-

The niece of Eddie and Beatrice. A beautiful, smart young Italian woman, who is favoured by the men around her and eventually falls in love with Rodolpho, much to Eddie's anger.

Marco-

Beatrice's cousin and illegal immigrant. He comes to America to earn money to support his wife and children in Italy. He has an unspoken power.

Rodolpho-

Beatrice's young, blonde cousin and illegal immigrant. He is fairly effeminate as he prefers singing jazz than working on the ships, sews, dances and cooks. Rodolpho desires to be American and live a privileged life of fame and fortune.

Alfieri-

The narrator. An Italian American lawyer. He speaks directly to the audience, and highlights the greater social and moral implications of the story.

 

Themes:

•  The animalistic nature of humans. Eddie becomes animalistic, driven by his incestuous lust for Catherine.  He resorts to desperate measures to protect his identity and his reputation within the community. Alfieri recognises Eddie's irrational behaviour, as Eddie relies fully on his instincts. Yet Alfieri still almost admires the irrational behaviour.
• Community vs. American law. There is a prominent conflict between the community law, which protects illegal immigrants, and American law. Eddie eventually sides with American law. He goes against his principles and compromises his place in the community by doing this, ultimately resulting in his death.

 

Concepts and symbols:

• Homosexuality. Eddie identifies Rodolpho as a homosexual as he sings, dances, cooks and sews. Eddie questions Rodolpho's dislike for manual labour and his bleach blonde hair which gives him an air of femininity. Eddie first teaches Rodolpho how to box and then kisses him. This can be perceived as Eddies suppressed homosexual feelings, which would explain his extreme adversity to stereotypical homosexual characteristics. The societal view of homosexuality is clear with Louis and Mike clearly thinking there is something wrong with Rodolpho.
• Women. When Beatrice describes how Catherine must become a woman, she states 'you still walk around in front on [Eddie] in your slip', 'you sit on the edge of the bathtub talkin' to [Eddie] when he's shavin' in his underwear'. To Beatrice, being a woman means reserving modesty in front of men, and independently making decisions. Catherine's progression into womanhood means marrying Rodolpho, and abiding by his rules rather than Eddie's. Additionally, high heels are, for Catherine, representative of womanhood as it emphasises flirtation and sexiness. Eddie strongly disapproves of them, but they give Catherine a sexual power of men.
• Brooklyn bridge. This symbolises a pathway of opportunity to Manhattan. From the bridge, one can see the entire community. Alfieri attempts to unite the American laws with Italian cultural practices.