Miller’s idea that that people at the water front took advantage of the poor longshoreman played a big part in the play to show the culture clash as most of the longshoremen were immigrants We also see that Eddie is a known member of the Italian Community in Brooklyn. In the play the idea of an Italian Community is very important as it shows the differences in law between Italians and Americans. Eddie tells Catherine and Beatrice about how he believes loyalty is very important and how betrayal deserves punishment. He tells them a story about a young boy who betrayed his family and how he was punished afterwards. “Vinny Bolzano, remember Vinny” Miller uses this idea shows us that there are many unwritten rules in the Italian Community and Eddie being a known member is expected to obey these laws and it also shows the irony in Eddie’s betrayal. When Eddie first talks to Alfieri, he is shocked when Alfieri implies that he could inform the authorities to protect Catherine. However, later on, Eddie betrays both Marco and Rodolpho. The fact that he would even think about betraying his family; not just Marco and Rodolpho, but Beatrice and Catherine as well shows a vast difference between American Culture and Italian culture. As Italian culture is more about justice and American Culture is more about following the law.
Furthermore there is a massive idea of law and justice, in the end of the book Marco demands justice he says “all the law is not in a book” This shows Marco, an Italian has rules of his own, he goes on to talk about honour and blood. Again Alfieri, an Italian but someone who is a member of the American community reminds Marco of the law. This tells us that Italians have many different rules to Americans to do with punishment and believe in getting justice rather than abiding by the law. In this Miller is trying to show that the culture clash as Americans believe more in law whereas the Italians believe in justice.
In the play the Italian Community is portrayed as a very compassionate community this necessary in the play to show the great difference between Italians and Americans. There are many illegal Italian immigrants living in this area of Brooklyn, as at that time Italy was a very poor country. “Horses in our town are skinnier than goats” This shows that many Italians were poor at that time and therefore came to live in America to better themselves. Marco and Rodolpho are classic examples of this “My wife – she feeds them from her own mouth” Here Marco is talking about how his wife has no food for herself as she gives it to her children. At this stage of the play Eddie is portrayed to the audience as very uncaring and thoughtless character “you see a tired relative, I end up on the floor,” but to the community in the play Eddie is portrayed as a thoughtful and honourable caring person. In this we see Eddie is acting like an Italian to the community but the audience see Eddie as an uncaring American.
The American community is not seen as such a protective or caring community, this is shown by Alfieri when he suggests to Eddie that he could call the authorities on Marco and Rodolpho. American culture is seen as very fast and glamorous life in the play. We see this when Rodolpho says he wants a motorbike “I will buy a motorcycle” This shows that Rodolpho has a vision of an exciting life in America. Which is a total contrast to Italian way of life in America were there is poor pay and is very rough area. Eddie describes people at a certain neighbour hood “B., I don’t like it” This shows that Italian culture is very rough and Eddie is very protective over Catherine as a result of this.
Miller uses the differences in language to show how the two cultures are very different. Alfieri is the only person in the play who speaks Standard English. “Not purely good, but himself purely for he allowed himself to be wholly known” This helps the play together as Alfieri’s dialogue is a total contrast to Eddie’s. Alfieri being the narrator also shows two sides to his speech. On the other hand Eddie speaks in a colloquial way and his sentences are short and uncomplicated, “Where you goin’ all dressed up” Both characters’ speech has a massive impact on the play as the contrast throws the audience and also shows them the difference in the two characters are.
The idea that Miller himself was born into an immigrant family shows why the play was so successful in showing the culture clash, as he has drawn from this own experiences when he lived in Brooklyn as he was a Jewish boy growing up in an American neighbour hood.
In conclusion, we see that at the end of the play that there is a compromise between both cultures, as Catherine is forced to lose Eddie to marry Rodolpho. In this we see that justice has been done, but never the less Marco has committed a crime for Catherine and Rodolpho’s happiness and will be sent back to Italy by law. This is a compromise between the law and justice.
We also see that Eddie has over come his fixation with Catherine when he calls Beatrice’s name “My B.!” this tells us that Eddie is honourable and therefore he is faithful to his wife and is being a strict Catholic.
Arthur Miller also shows the audience that as a result of the culture clash there are different kinds of people Alfieri and Catherine who are Italian but have adapted and compromised with American culture easily then Eddie an Italian who uneasily compromised with American Culture.
