A view from the Bridge analysis. Paper Doll Scene (Page 20 line 37 Page 22 line 16) How does Miller make this an important scene?

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Thomas Aird

‘Paper Doll’ Scene (Page 20 line 37 – Page 22 line 16)

How does Miller make this an important scene?

The song that Rodolfo sings, ‘Paper Doll’, plays a key role in this scene and also in the rest of the play. On an obvious level, it draws, attention to Rodolfo, particularly, how feminine he is, which becomes a lot more significant later in the play. The lyrics of the song are also important as they reflect what is actually happening in the play, in particular the line, “it’s tough to love a doll that’s not your own”. Miller could have meant this to mean that Eddie is trying to love Catherine but she belongs to Rodolfo now and also that she was never really his since she is his niece not his daughter. The singing is also significant as it is the first of many things that cause Eddie to hate Rodolfo. Eddie despises the fact that Rodolfo is flirting with Catherine, especially since Rodolfo isn’t masculine at all, has a high voice and likes to sing. The final stage direction, ‘his [Eddie’s] face was puffed with trouble’, after watching Rodolfo and Catherine flirting, shows his feelings for them being romantically together, and the use of ‘puffed’ provokes physical imagery in the readers mind.

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By telling Catherine to change her shoes, he exerts his power over her, demonstrating to Rodolfo that she belongs to him. Eddie phrases the command more like a request, although he doesn’t leave her much choice on the matter. Also, by saying “do me a favour, will you?” he makes it much more personal and makes it impossible for Catherine to refuse especially since they have company. Furthermore, the vocative “Garbo” that Eddie uses to address Catherine with, is almost mocking, making her seem like a child who wants to be a film star. This is further reinforced by Eddie’s ...

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