How has Arthur Miller presented the American Dream Theme in 'A View From the Bridge?'

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How has Arthur Miller presented the American Dream Theme in ‘A View From the Bridge?’

By Luke Harris 10R/T

The Online Google dictionary defines that ‘The American Dream is the idea held by many in the United States of America that through hard work, courage and determination one can achieve prosperity. These were values held by many early European settlers, and have been passed on to subsequent generations.’ What the American Dream has become today is a question under constant discussion.

The American Dream appears to have enduring appeal to many other countries. The United States of America still has the largest intake of legal immigrants in the world at one million. Past generations of immigrants came from Europe, Latin America and Asia. Unknown members of illegal immigrants enter annually mainly via the southern border with Mexico.

Arthur Miller wrote ‘A View From the Bridge’ in 1955 because he was appalled at the way Italian immigrants were treated by the shipyard owners.  Initially they had plenty of work but after they had paid off any debts to the bosses at the shipyards they were cast aside.  The immigrants literally waited on the bridge hoping for a chance of work. Miller had first hand experience of this because for a few years he worked at a dock in Brooklyn, and became friends with many Italian immigrants and their families.

The play is set at Red Hook, a slum on the seaward side of the Brooklyn Bridge. ‘A View From the Bridge’ is written about Eddie Carbone, a longshoreman, and his family, Beatrice, his wife and Catherine, his niece. The family’s life is turned upside down when two Italian immigrants, Marco and Rodolpho, enter their household.

Before the Italians arrive, there are many key passages that highlight the presence of the American Dream in this story. Eddie says to Beatrice to calm her down before the Italians arrive as she thinks her house is a mess, “They’ll think this is a millionaire’s house compared to the way they live.” Eddie believes that he is better than the Italians and that they will be impressed by anything, even their slum house in Brooklyn. Beatrice, though, remains nervous and blames Eddie saying that she would have washed the walls and have cleaned or bought a new tablecloth. Eddie is outraged by this, “You’re savin’ their lives, what’re you worryin’ about the tablecloth. They probably didn’t see a tablecloth in their whole life where they come from.” Yet again this shows us that Eddie thinks the Italians are extremely poor and deprived.

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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 ...

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