A view from the bridge - In this essay I am going to explore if the protagonist, Eddie Carbone, is guilty for his downfall; which then leads to his death.

After this he visits Alfieri, the lawyer. He goes to ask him if he would be able to stop Rodolfo and Catherine marrying each other, but Alfieri’s advice to him is “the child has to grow up and go away, and the man has to learn to forget. Because after all, Eddie – what other way can it end?” One other thing that Alfieri says hints at the truth, “She wants to get married, Eddie. She can’t marry you, can she?” Eddie replies “What’re you talking about, marry me! I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!” He obviously knows what he’s talking about, and Beatrice knows as well. The violent reaction from Eddie shows us that he fells ashamed that he loves his niece and fears that he will lose his dignity and respect.

Eddie doesn’t listen to his advice but leaves the office in a dilemma.

Knowing he can’t do anything about Rodolfo, his attitude towards him changes dramatically. He stops talking to him in a civil manner and only speaks to mock him, such as when Rodolfo says, “Lemons are green”, and Eddie replies, “I know lemons are green, for Christ’s sake”. He says this almost to point out that Rodolfo is stupid. Every time he criticises Rodolfo he seems to look for support in his older brother, Marco. When he tries to teach Rodolfo how to fight, we see Marco being protective of his brother. When Eddie tries to land a punch on Rodolfo, the stage directions say ‘it mildly staggers Rodolfo, Marco rises’. After they have finished, Marco has his own test of masculinity. Marco says “Can you lift this chair”, a seemingly easy task. But Eddie cannot complete it and Marco carries on with showing him as the stage directions say, ‘Rodolfo and Catherine have stopped dancing as Marco raises the chair over his head. Marco is face to face with Eddie, a strained tension gripping his eyes and jaw, his neck stiff, the chair raised like a weapon over his head – and he transforms what might appear like a glare of warning into a smile of triumph’. This shows us that Marco is no longer in support of Eddie and it is also a sign that he will defend and protect his brother if he is harmed. This leaves the audience tense at the end of Act One, which will make us focus more on the play. We become anxious about what happens from here on. We also know that a tragedy or something that will lead up to it, is going to occur in the beginning.  

Catherine is another person who thinks that Eddie is going too far, but she knows how to aggravate him and does so by putting on ‘Paper Doll’ deliberately and asking Rodolfo to dance with her in front of him. Although she disapproves of what Eddie is doing, she doesn’t say it, she only shows it when she goes to support or help Rodolfo.

At the end of Act One, the audience have lost confidence in Eddie as the main character but have realised why he is the protagonist. They also feel that Eddie will have competition and future rivalries with Marco because of the test of strength.

At the beginning of Act Two, Eddie finally has a reason to let out his anger and frustration on Rodolfo. When he comes home drunk, he sees Catherine and Rodolfo coming out of the bedroom. He assumes the obvious and then tells Rodolpho to pack his bags and leave. As he does, Catherine goes with Rodolfo, but Eddie stops her and brings her closer to him. Eddie asks her where she is going and she says, “I think I have to get out of here”. Eddie obviously says no, but after much debate Eddie grabs her and kisses her on the lips. This answers the question if Eddie was attracted to her all along. But he isn’t doing this at free will, as he is drunk. He is also showing Rodolfo that Catherine belongs to him in a strange way. But when Rodolfo tries to stop Eddie by tugging his arms, Eddie threatens, “You want something?”

Eddie then tries to anger Rodolfo by mocking him, he asks him “But what’re you gonna be?”

Rodolfo replies “I’ll show you what I want to be!”

Eddie angers him more, “Come on, show me! What’re you gonna be? Show me!”

With this, Rodolfo lunges at Eddie, but he pins him to the floor and kisses him as well. He does this to make fun of him and humiliate him; he also might do this just to see if his theory of Rodolfo being gay is true. After the struggle he kicks Rodolfo out but forces Catherine to stay by threatening her.

The next day he goes to see Alfieri for the second time, but this meeting does not last long as Alfieri cannot give him many choices to resolve the conflict except one; phone the Immigration Bureau. Unfortunately Eddie takes it, uncaring of the consequences. Alfieri shouts when Eddie leaves, “You won’t have a friend in the world, Eddie! Even those who understand will turn against you, even the ones who think the same will despise you!”

This is very ironic, as Eddie tells the story of another family earlier on in the play. The story is about a little boy called Vinny Bolzano who informed the Immigration Bureau about his own uncle. After that his whole family beat him in the streets and spat on him showing that they have disowned him. This is a powerful example of honour and the Italian way of life, even when living in another country.

The audience is now tense as the clock is ticking for the Immigration officers to show up.

After phoning the Immigration Bureau, he goes home to find out that Beatrice has moved both the immigrants upstairs with another family. Although Eddie knew what he has done, Beatrice doesn’t so she was surprised when Eddie tells her to get them out of the house immediately. He is scared that if the other family knew what he had done, they would kill him. This is another example of the Italian way of life, that if you dishonour someone, the price to pay for it is death.

When the officers do come, Catherine and Beatrice then realise why he was in such a hurry to remove them. We don’t see the reaction from them both straight away, but the next day when Catherine and Rodolfo are going to marry. Catherine reacts fully by ignoring Eddie and calling him a “rat” who, “belongs in the sewer.”

But Beatrice’s reaction is interesting as she stands by Eddie and his decision of her not going to the wedding, Even though she wants to let her. This is an example of the typical 1950s wife who obeys her husband.

Marco reacts violently and accusingly to Eddie’s act of betrayal. The first thing he does is spit on him on his way out, which is symbolic as it disrespects and insults the man who gets spat on. As Catherine and Beatrice are trying to prove that they are from America, Marco shouts out, “That one! I accuse that one!”       In front of the whole neighbourhood. “That one! He killed my children! That one stole the food from my children!”

After he leaves, the crowd is focused on Eddie, and with amazed faces, ask a silent question, “Did you do it?”

Eddie answers, “He’s crazy! I give them the blankets of my bed. Six months I kept them like my own brothers!”

But everyone turns to leave, even his friends, he shouts out his way of getting his honour back, “He’s gonna take that back. He’s gonna take that back or I’ll kill him! You hear me! I’ll kill him!”

This is the only way Eddie can see that justice can be done; to kill Marco. Now they are both competing for honour and justice and the only way they will settle it is by trying to kill each other.

Eddie is so determined to defend his name and reputation because that is the only thing they had to their name. They didn’t own properties or flash cars, but only honour. And if you lost, that then there was no point in living.

After Marco and Rodolfo are released, Marco goes back to the house for revenge. Knowing that he can’t stay in America, he wants to get his justice.

Marco challenges Eddie to come outside, deliberately so that everyone will see. Eddie accepts the challenge and goes outside to confront Marco, but instead of addressing Marco, he addresses the people who have gathered around first and tells them, “Maybe he come to apologize to me. Heh, Marco? For what you said to me in front of the neighbourhood.” He then addresses Marco and says “I want my name, Marco. Now gimme my name and we can go together to the wedding”.

He says his speech first to show the people that he is in the right and that Marco is in the wrong. But when Eddie has enough of the talking, he lunges for Marco, but Marco strikes Eddie and shouts, “Animal! You go on your knees to me,” which will symbolise that Marco is more powerful than him and that he begs for forgiveness. As he says that, Eddie goes down but then only to pull out a knife, he is now threatening him but gives him one more chance and says, “You lied about me, Marco. Now say it. Come on, say it!”

But Marco replies once again, “Anima-a-a-l.” With this Eddie lunges with the knife but Marco turns it in towards Eddie. This is also symbolic, as Eddie stabs himself as he is holding the knife, which implies that no one is to blame for his death but himself. After he is stabbed, Eddie, “Falls to his knees before Marco”, then dies in Beatrice’s arms.

I believe that the audience do feel a bit of sympathy towards him because he was once a normal workingman who provided for his wife and niece. He didn’t have a story to his life until the cousins came along. If this could’ve been avoided, then the way he felt towards Catherine wouldn’t of got out. But he was up for competition and was defending his honour just because they came along.

I think Eddie and every one else around who got involved are guilty for his downfall. This is because a little change in course by anyone could’ve changed the end, such as if Alfieri would have given him better advice, or if Beatrice was a more loving a caring wife, or if Catherine didn’t “walk around in her slip” in front of him. But then again if Eddie’s jealousy and over- protectiveness did not get a hold of him, then he might just be alive.

At the end of the play, Alfieri speaks as the chorus and says “And yet it is better to settle for half.” I don’t exactly agree with him, because sometimes the truth can hurt someone, or in this case kill someone. So it is usually better to settle for all of it when it means the difference between life and death.