Explore the ways that Miller makes use of places in 'A View from the Bridge'

Simon Sharp 5 More Mr Walsh

Explore the ways that Miller makes use of places in ‘A View from the Bridge’

In ‘A view from the bridge’ the author, Arthur Miller, makes use of places in the play in a number of different ways. The way Miller as a writer describes these places in the text and the overall effect this has on the play; as well as how scenery has been utilised at the Queens Theatre production. The places mentioned in the play also have an effect on the different characters and the specific issues that Arthur Miller raises through these places in the tone of the text. All of these aspects are of vital importance when looking at how the play makes use of places in the text.

The performance at the Queens Theatre is extremely important, particularly the stage set, and how the scenery is employed to illustrate the tone and mood of these places. There are six locations on the set of the play: the telephone booth; lawyer’s office; outside of the house; the first floor inside of the house; second floor in the house; and the ramps (representing the street which run upstage, and off to the right and to the left). The audience is aided in distinguishing between the different rooms, through the lighting that is used. The area where the ‘action’ is taking place at a particular point is illuminated. This creates the illusion that just that room is on the stage. When viewing the performance the use of lighting creates mood and focus extremely effectively. Throughout the performance each scene remains in the same position, unchanged, and stationary. This increases the dramatic effect employed by the production and creates a powerfully expressive tone. The most effective of the locations used in my opinion, was the lawyer’s office which was set up on the corner of the stage. This is because to the character Alfieri, who remains seated in this set throughout the play, yet was only noticeable when speaking and lit. Clever use of lighting, instantaneously makes the audience focus on a specific area of the stage, and creates the feeling that this is the only place on the stage.

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Apart from the physical places that are on the stage, there are numerous cities that are mentioned throughout the text. Miller has used these references for a specific purpose. These references include places such as Brooklyn, Sicily and Manhattan. It is the importance of these places to the characters that is significant. Brooklyn is the setting in the opening scene, and is described by one character in the opening lines. The Carbones’ house is in the ‘Red Hook’ which is a slum that faces the bay on the seaward side of Brooklyn Bridge; also known as the gullet of New York. Catherine, a young woman, who has been brought up in this area, is clear that this is not the place in which she wants to spend the rest of her life. This is clear when she asks Eddie, her uncle, if she can get a job in a plumbing company, to earn some money: ‘But it’s fifty a week, Eddie. You sound like I’m goin’ a million miles!’ Unlike Catherine, Eddie is the same as the majority of people, wanting more from life than they earn. However, reality is obviously very unlike our dreams, and Eddie as many do, settled for less. He is getting on with life the best that he can, earning as much money as he possibly can from the job he has.

The character of Alfieri has been living in this area since he was twenty-five. He moved from Sicily in Italy, to his current residency, seaward side of the Brooklyn Bridge. Italy to Alfieri and the other Italians symbolises culture, it is their homeland, and however, the symbolic reference of Italy itself varies between characters. For Catherine Italy represents mystery and romance; for Rodolpho who has actually experienced life there, it symbolises a life of little opportunity, from which to escape. Alfieri knows he can do much better, but he idolises the people who work with him; and seems to continue his employment, out of curiosity and a connection to the people, who are in a worse situation than him. ‘My wife has warned me, so have my friends; they tell me the people in this neighbourhood lack elegance and glamour. After all, who have I dealt with in my life?’ This place is really important to the character Alfieri, and a real sense of the importance of this place is conveyed to the audience.

The Brooklyn Bridge is an example of a place of such importance to these people; it is a symbol of a gateway to hope and a better life in Manhattan, as well as providing a link between the two cultures, (American and Italian). As the title suggests this bridge is very important, and the view from it allows one to see the community, and from this viewpoint they would be united as one. Alfieri attempts to unite Italian and American, this unity symbolised by the bridge; his narration of the story also, and his view from past to future, positions him as if he were on the bridge surveying everything.

The issues that Miller raises through his use of such places, is another key issue to consider. It is important to put the book in to historical and social context, in order to do this one must consider that the text comes from the late 1940’s. Miller’s interest was in the work and lives of the different communities, consisting of dockworkers and longshoremen. The Carbones’ family is used by Miller to demonstrate how dangerous and enigmatic such a place can be. Where bosses exploit their workers and immigrants enter the country illegally. These immigrants arrive in hope of work and a better quality of life. In this case Marco and Rodolfo come to America for work. This is a part of the text where Miller tries to arouse the reader’s awareness of the social and historical issues of the time the text was written in.

In some ways the sense of community which is apparent in the text, and when watching a performance could also be described as a ‘place’. Not a material place such as New York and Sicily, but a place within these material dwellings, where all the characters come together, and act out these scenes, and live out their daily lives. As such, this is a place which should not be overlooked. Community is very powerful in the play; it illustrates a norm as well as delivering constraints upon the characters. The characters are forced to find common ground between Italy and American in their morals, and general day to day life; this provides a major source of conflict. The community is a very close knit one and as such controls the characters, the Carbones’ for example feel watched from the very start. Throughout the play, community plays a very significant role in the lives and actions of the characters, Eddie does turn against the community in calling Immigration, yet in the end he still strives to defend his name in the community against Marco.

In this essay a number of different ways that Arthur Miller utilises places in the text, have been looked at. From the different areas covered it is apparent that Miller makes use of each extremely effectively. Mentioning these places numerously alerts the audience to the importance of them, as well as creating a clear sense of how the characters feel, allowing the audience to empathise as well as relate to them, in context with the historical, social and economic issues of the 1940’s New York.

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