“The law is often inadequate” –in my opinion this statement is true, If we take Marco’s case, in the play, when he converses with Alfieri: ‘if he was in my country, he would be dead:’ this tells us that Marco feels very strongly about the fact that Eddie has betrayed him and his family, and is disappointed that the Law in America does not punish Eddie for what Marco feels to be worthy of the death sentence; showing that from Marco’s point of view the law, in this case, is inadequate. Another person may think it quite agreeable according to their personal morals and values.
In A View from the Bridge; ‘Justice is not the same for all the characters. Marco gets his justice by getting revenge on Eddie, who has effectively killed his children, as Marco will now be deported, and will have no chance of finding work in Sicily-‘He robbed my children.’ There has been a great injustice to Marco and, in his eyes, must be righted by killing Eddie; he feels that it is dishonourable to let Eddie live.
Eddie’s justice would be for there to be a law that requires every man to state his intentions before advancing on a woman; and must first seek the guardians' permission; upon whose disapproval, the law would prevent the marriage.
In all the Sicilians’ views, family is more important than the law. They have no hesitations at breaking immigration laws (as can be seen when Eddie permits the brothers to stay in his house) or any other laws, for their families: “honoured to lend me a place to sleep.”
When Eddie talks about Vinny Bolzano, he shows that in their eyes, betrayal is an injustice as the immigrants trusted their family and Vinny to keep quiet. It is wrong to betray someone’s trust; it’s immoral, and therefore unjust. There was no law to say anyone who betrayed their family would be punished. In fact the law would be pleased. This is one of the ways Arthur Miller shows that the law is often inadequate. So the family did what they thought justified: pulled him down the stairs-‘three flights his head was bouncin’, and spat on him in public: ‘and they spit on him in the street.’ It was ironic the way Eddie was so horrified at the thought that anyone could betray their family, as it was the exact thing he himself went on to do,- ‘a guy do a thing like that? How‘s he gunna show his face?.’
Eddie feels Rudolph has broken the unspoken “code” which outlines the socially expected standards of behaviour. He thinks Rudolpho is using Catherine to get citizenship in America, is being disrespectful by not asking Eddie’s permission before taking Catherine out and that he is gay- ‘That guy ain’t right,’ (he may not actually believe this, but finds it convenient reason to prevent his niece from marrying him.) Eddie is searching for justice, but is frustrated, when he goes to see Alfieri, that the law cannot help him. There is no law to stop two people getting married because one of their guardians disapproves, Alfieri explains-‘morally and legally you have no rights,’ then advises Eddie; ‘let her go. And bless her.’
Eddie, however, in his search for justice; is blind to the injustice he is causing to the people around him. He is not treating Beatrice as a loving husband should; he treats her disrespectfully by: not opening up, not talking when she wants to, their sex life has come to a complete standstill, and he threatens her that if she goes to Catherine’s wedding she won’t be allowed back in the house- ‘don’t come back.’ He is also being a chauvinist: ‘this is my house;’ she has no choice in the matter and her views are irrelevant. His fixated ness is smothering Catherine: as he doesn’t like the way she dresses, nor the way her hips sway when she walks down the street, also he didn’t want her to have a job in the first place; Eddie is completely cutting her off from the rest of the world as he is not allowing her to grow up and become a woman, as she should be able to; as Rudolpho shows in his metaphor about the ‘little bird’. The way he treats Marco and Rudolpho is also wrong. As he disrespects and insults Rudolpho by kissing him, as both of the men are disgusted by his actions. There is a colossal contrast, to his earlier opinion where he was disgusted at the idea and the story of Vinny Bolzano, and now causes the same injustice to his own family.
Like Eddie, Marco also wants justice and wants Eddie punished. Eddie disrespected Rudolpho, treated them as if they should be grateful to him for letting them stay in his house, he effectively killed Marco’s children: ‘He degrades my brother. My blood. He robbed my children. He mocks my work.’
I believe that Marco is more justified in wanting justice or vengeance then Eddie because Marco never hurt anyone and is very honourable, unlike Eddie who has hurt all the people around him and the community. Also Eddie’s reasons for wanting justice are selfish: to keep Catherine for himself. Marco’s interests are to protect his family, as there will be no work for him in Sicily, and so with no income they will be unable to buy food. His brother has been humiliated, and all the hard work he has put into coming here and to save his family has gone to waste because Eddie could not control his feelings.
During Marco’s conversation with Alfieri, Marco found that he was to be deported. He asked the lawyer what was done to a man who committed such an awful deed (referring to Eddie). Alfieri says: ‘nothing, if he obeys the law, he lives.’ Marco is disgusted: ‘if he was in my country, he would be dead,’ but respects the law in this country and gives Alfieri his word that he will not kill Eddie Carbone. He wonders if Eddie wants to say sorry to him- ‘maybe he wants to apologise to me.’
On the other hand, when Eddie went to converse with the lawyer, he was full of hatred, and going against the lawyer’s advice, treacherously rings the bureau. In contrast to Marco, he doesn’t give his word, but turns his back without replying.
When the too older men were in conflict, Rudolpho played the part of the peacemaker. He thought that maybe Marco would be lenient if he thought Eddie and himself were being friendly; knowing that Catherine would be very hurt if her uncle was killed. He is almost the jester of the play and is the jolly, happy, optimistic one who eases the tension even though he is mostly the injured party. Rudolpho is the one who settles for the “half” that Alfieri mentions earlier in the play.
When the two men meet, Eddie pulls out a knife; Marco didn’t bring a weapon, showing that he had no intention of murdering Eddie even though he thinks it dishonourable to let him live. Marco pushes Eddie’s own knife into him; in this way he has kept his promise, in that Eddie died by his own hand. This is metaphorical in showing that Eddie did in fact bring about his own destruction.
In the end nobody wins: Eddie looses everything as well as his life; Beatrice is now a widow; Catherine has lost an uncle; Rudolpho is sad that his new bride is miserable, that his brother is to be deported and that Eddie has sealed Marco’s family’s fate-they will starve. Ironically, after all this, the marriage still went ahead, and sooner – all of Eddie’s sacrifices were for nothing.
In “A View from the Bridge”, Arthur Miller is on the side of the immigrants. He has seen how desperate they are during his visits to Sicily. That is why the audience are made to like the immigrants. The law is sometimes inadequate. The theme throughout the play is; “What is lawful is not always just, and what is just is not always lawful.