A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE

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Khilen Khilochia – 10JB

A view from the Bridge

A view from the bridge’ is a modern day tragedy play written by an American playwright, Arthur Miller in the 1950. The play is based around the character of Eddie who begins as a good, honest, working class long shore man in one of New York migrant districts. He is a well respected man who is well known in the community as trustworthy. He cannot control his feelings for his niece, Catherine. However tensions flare with the arrival of his wife’s cousins, Rodolpho and Marco, both of whom are illegal immigrants, brings about jealousy and anger that finally leads to Eddie’s own death.

Miller frames the story against a past war in New York where Italian migration was widespread. The play is set in Red Hook, Brooklyn, a very poor area, described by Alfieri as the slum that faces the bay of Brooklyn Bridge. Italy was a very poor country and after switching sides in the war and supporting the British, the Nazis took revenge. People were leaving Italy because of the poor economic conditions in the country in 1950. As the economy in Italy was slow to grow with no jobs and no prospects, many people came in with the hope of settling in the U.S, New York, Little Italy.  Dock owners knew that they could get cheap labour from immigrants so they helped them to get in the country until they paid for their fare. The immigrants did unskilled work for long hours for very low wages. The consequences of the immigration into America were that the neighborhood got overcrowded which lead to illnesses spreading such as tuberculosis.

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In the play, Miller represents Eddie Carbone as the master of the household who lays down the rules because he expects all men to do the same as it is the main job. The Carbone family live in Brooklyn, where Eddie is a working class long shore man who works at the shipyards. Eddie is a very well known, well-liked, respected and generous man who offers Beatrice’s cousins, Rodolpho and Marco a home but at the same time he is self-protective and selfish as he tells Beatrice not to let them sleep in his bed. Louis, Eddie’s friend, respects him ...

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