Marco is a conventionally masculine guy, a “square-built peasant of thirty-two, suspicious, tender, and quiet-voiced”. He is supposed to be a tall, strong man, with dark olive skin, who also keeps himself to himself. Motivated by love of his own family in Sicily, the only reason Marco came to America is to make money, so he can support his family. He knows Beatrice and Eddie are very nice and kind to him, and his brother, because they are letting him stay at their house. He feels it is his duty to behave in an appropriate manner towards Eddie and Beatrice.
Rodolpho is a blonde-haired boy who is extremely light-skinned in comparison to Marco “A thousand years ago, they say, the Danes invaded Sicily,” and so Eddie nick-names Rodolpho ‘Danish’. Rodolpho is a keen believer in the American Dream and he wants to be an American. He dreams that he will get rich and buy a motorcycle so that he can deliver messages in Italy and never be poor again; “With a motorcycle in Italy you will never starve any more.”
When Marco and Rodolpho first arrive at the house Rodolpho is so excited and keen to capitalise on the joys of America; “This will be the first house I ever walked into in America! Imagine! She said they were poor!” This shows us that Rodolpho thinks that this small house, in a slum area, looks almost like a palace.
In the first act, Marco stays extremely quiet and only says vital or necessary things. He doesn’t want to offend or annoy anyone and he is only in America to earn money for his wife. His American Dream is that he can work hard, and be rewarded by having his sons fed instead of starving.
Catherine is very important in ‘A View from the Bridge’ as she is a key figure when it comes to Eddie’s reaction to Rodolpho and his future in America. When the Italians enter the Carbone household, Catherine is attracted to Rodolpho, an Italian who can sing, cook and dance. In time, Catherine begins to show Rodolpho around Brooklyn by going to the movies and walking with him, but as soon as Rodolpho starts to get close to Catherine, Eddie begins to mock him “…with that wacky hair; he's like a chorus girl or sump'm.” Eddie uses anything he can to make Rodolpho seem unfit for Catherine, and works hard to try to prove that he is a homosexual.
Eddie is jealous of Rodolpho because he is not only making Catherine happier than Eddie can, but because he is less of a macho man, so Eddie thinks there must be something wrong with him and twists everything about him. The way that Eddie feels about Rodolpho doing things like cooking and singing is another sign that Eddie dislikes him. For more modern people like Rodolpho and Catherine there is nothing wrong with men doing things that women have traditionally done but the older generations like Eddie see it as not ‘being a man’.
Another reason Eddie dislikes Rodolpho is that he is in America to make money only for himself. Rodolpho wants to capitalise on the American Dream by making plenty of money. Eddie respects Marco enormously because he has gone to all the trouble of emigrating for his starving children and family, whereas Rodolpho has nobody to provide for. This is not very honourable; in Eddie's eyes he should help his brother's family if he doesn't have his own; “A snappy new jacket he buys, records, a pointy pair new shoes and his brother's kids are starvin' over there with tuberculosis?” Rodolpho dreams of America as a new start for him and has high hopes, and he enjoys the bright lights of New York.
At the start of the second act, Catherine and Rodolpho are in the house by themselves. This scene is crucial as it is when Catherine suggests that her and Rodolpho go and live in Italy. Rodolpho is furious as “there’s nothing” in his country that they don’t have in America. “How can I bring you from a rich country to suffer in a poor one?” Catherine tells Rodolpho that she is scared of Eddie and that she doesn’t want to live in that house anymore.
Rodolpho consoles her and says that one day they will be able to live in a house by themselves away from Eddie. Rodolpho clearly believes that in America he will be able to make enough money to buy his own house for him and Catherine.
Catherine wants to get away from Eddie because he loves Catherine more than is appropriate. This is shown when Rodolpho says to Catherine later on in the same scene, “If I take in my hands a little bird. And she grows and wishes to fly. But I will not let her out of my hands because I love her so much. Is that right for me to do?” This shows us that Rodolpho realises that Eddie wishes to hold on to Catherine and if he truly loved her he would let her have her freedom. This is one of many signs that maybe later on in the play, Rodolpho’s American Dream may be shattered by Eddie’s selfish actions.
The day after, Eddie returns home drunk when Catherine and Rodolpho are on their own in the house. Eddie finally has had enough as he is sick of being jealous of Rodolpho. He tells Rodolpho to pack his bag and leave the house as he is not wanted anymore. Rodolpho has nearly hit rock-bottom; the father of the very family that brought him to America, so that he could make money, wants him out of the house. Catherine wants to go with him, as they are set to be married. Catherine tries to reason with him and tells him that she has to leave. Eddie, suddenly, grabs Catherine and kisses her. This is incestuous behaviour, and Rodolpho sees this. He grabs Eddie’s arm and tries to drag him away from her. Eddie gets very wound up and ends up pinning Rodolpho and kissing him too. Eddie tells Rodolpho to get out of his house alone, or he’ll throw him out. Rodolpho’s Dream has almost ended entirely apart from that he has Catherine; this means he can still be an American.
Eddie is very confused, Rodolpho stays with Catherine at the house and no more is said of the kissing incident, but Eddie feels the tension and so goes to Alfieri, the chorus figure in the play, to seek advice. Alfieri has nothing to say to him, apart from that if he does what he wants to do, “You won’t have a friend in the world, Eddie! Even those who understand will turn against you, even the ones who feel the same will despise you! Put it out of your mind! Eddie!” Alfieri does not repeat his earlier comment on the only law which can help Eddie, but sees that desperation will lead him to betray Marco and Rodolpho, and repeatedly warns him against it. The ‘darkness’ into which he follows Eddie may symbolize Eddie's being in the dark morally and psychologically. The stage directions want the phone to glow, this clearly indicates in visual theatrical terms how the idea first occurs to Eddie, then becomes irresistible. Eddie, however, doesn’t take Alfieri’s advice and without thinking calls the Immigration bureau. The Immigration Bureau come to the house and arrests the two brothers.
Marco breaks free and spits in Eddie’s face. His American Dream has clearly been shattered now, as he has hit rock-bottom and will not be able to provide for his wife and sick son back in Sicily; “He degraded my brother. My blood. He robbed my children, he mocks my work. I work to come here, mister!”
Marco fills up with rage and anger and shouts: “He killed my children! That one stole the food from my children!” Eddie becomes offended and demands that he apologizes and demands that he gives his name back, “He's gonna take that back or I'll kill him! You hear me?”
The play ends with Marco and Eddie in a fight. Eddie has a knife threatening to kill Marco. All Eddie wanted was for Marco to tell the people that what he said wasn't true because that was all that is all it comes down to in the end, pride and respect,
“You lied about me, Marco. Now say it. Come on now, say it!”
Eddie dives at Marco with the knife, but Marco takes Eddie’s hand and forces the blade back into himself, killing Eddie, and with it Marco’s hope of a prosperous way of life in America.
Arthur Miller has used the most basic themes to build this story upon: family, love, honour, and the American Dream. The role of the family is very important throughout the play. The role of the head of the family is mainly played by Beatrice. Beatrice always tries to hold the family together; she is the one who always settles the arguments, deals with problems between two other people. Eddie is not willing to let go of Catherine; he thinks she's still too young and she should stay with her real relatives. This final thought by Eddie, is what tears Marco and Rodolpho’s American Dream apart.
At the time of Miller's writing the play, and even now, there was and is deep controversy surrounding the ‘American Dream’. To some, America was seen as a fresh, new nation that was full of hope: where the jobs were plenty and the money in good supply. It was a dream many people held close to them as a means of escape from the hard life they may have been living but to the people who actually took the move it was a dream that in some instances was almost certainly shattered.
By Luke Harris 10R/T