A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
ESSAY PREPARATION
Overlooking the docks area of Brooklyn is the massive Brooklyn Bridge, which spans New
York's East River and which joins the boroughs of Brooklyn and Manhattan.
In the title, Miller suggests he is giving the audience a view of the community which lies below
the bridge.
The title also suggests that the audience is given a panoramic view of the scene, much as a
captain of a ship has an all-round view from the vessel's bridge.
The action of the play takes place largely in an apartment in a tenement block in the Red Hook area
of Brooklyn.
In the play, Alfieri, the lawyer, describes the area as:
"the slum that faces the bay on the seaward side of Brooklyn Bridge"
and as
"the gullet of New York swallowing the tonnage of the world."
It was a socially deprived area, where succeeding generations of immigrants from Europe, both legal
and illegal, found a home and work.
There was a long-established Italian community in the area.
The Culture and Society of Red Hook.
Given the rather traditional values of Italian-American society in the middle of the twentieth century and the
fact that most of the men earned their living from hard physical labour in the dockyards and elsewhere, it is
not surprising that Red Hook was quite a raw, masculine and even macho society. Manhood, which
involved strength and aggression (and proving it) was very important. Women were expected to conform to
an image of purity and domestic virtue and, as Beatrice does, gain most of their satisfaction from cooking
and maintaining the household.
The men expected to be respected and obeyed as of right and the women had to submit to them in decision-
making. The influence of the Roman Catholic Church was strong and most people had traditional moral
views.
The family and the extended family were of major importance as was the community. Many of the families
were recent immigrants from Southern Italy, the original home of the Mafia, and family and blood ties were
often demonstrated through the practice of vendetta, that is the obligation on the rest of the family to take
revenge on anyone who insulted or harmed any of its members.
It was, therefore, a culture in which a man's reputation (for strength and honesty, for example) was crucial to
him and where any affront to a person's honour had to be avenged.
This may help you to understand the pressure that Eddie and Marco are under at the end of the play.
The Legal Background.
In the first 20 years of the Twentieth Century, over three million Italians emigrated to the U.S.A. to escape
from the poverty of their homeland and in the hope of a better life in America.
These were legal immigrants to America, but the local population grew increasingly hostile to the Italian
community. In the early 1920s the American government passed laws to restrict immigration and afterwards
only four thousand Italians were allowed to enter the U.S.A. legally each year.
Far more than this number were desperate to escape the poverty of their own country. Two such were the
'submarines', Marco and Rodolpho, cousins of Beatrice, who enter America illegally on the evening the play
opens.
One of the few ways an illegal immigrant could gain the right to remain in America legitimately was to marry
an American citizen. This sometimes meant that illegal immigrants married not for love, but simply to remain
in the country.
We can perhaps better understand Eddie's fears about Rodolpho when we know this
7. The Carbone Family's Background.
A playwright, unlike a novelist, cannot describe characters and situations to an audience. Details about
characters and their relationships have to be revealed gradually and subtly.
What, then, do we know about the Carbone family and the relationships within it?
The Carbones live in an apartment in a tenement building, at 441 Saxon Street, Brooklyn, which Miller
describes as a 'worker's flat, clean, sparse, homely.'
Eddie, aged 40, is a large, strong man who enjoys male pursuits and going bowling with his friends. He is a
longshoreman (i.e. he works in the docks).
Beatrice is a traditional 1950s housewife. She keeps the flat looking immaculate, cooks and, at least in the
early part of the play, dutifully defers to Eddie in everything. She stands up to Eddie much more as the
action unfolds, and objects to his overprotective attitude to Catherine.
Catherine, Beatrice's attractive 17-year-old niece, had been adopted by Eddie and Beatrice when her parents
died. Catherine is very fond of Eddie but there is growing tension between them because of Catherine's wish
to start work and Eddie's desire to protect her from, as he sees them, the dangers of the adult world.
The Eddie - Beatrice - Catherine Triangle.
The relationship between these three is the fOcus of Act I. Eddie and Beatrice have obviously had a warm, ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
action unfolds, and objects to his overprotective attitude to Catherine.
Catherine, Beatrice's attractive 17-year-old niece, had been adopted by Eddie and Beatrice when her parents
died. Catherine is very fond of Eddie but there is growing tension between them because of Catherine's wish
to start work and Eddie's desire to protect her from, as he sees them, the dangers of the adult world.
The Eddie - Beatrice - Catherine Triangle.
The relationship between these three is the fOcus of Act I. Eddie and Beatrice have obviously had a warm,
loving relationship but there are currently stresses. In Catherine's opinion, and in Eddie's too, Beatrice nags
her husband.
Catherine tells Rodolpho:
"If I was a wife, I would make a man happy instead of going on at him all the time"
(Implying that Beatrice does 'go on' at Eddie.)
Eddie certainly agrees with Catherine's view.
He tells Beatrice:
"You didn't used to jump on me all the time about everything. The last year or two I come in the house I
don't know what's gonna hit me. It's a shooting gallery in here and I'm the pigeon."
Part of the tension is caused by Eddie's belief that he should be the master in the house and Beatrice's
increasing wish to express her own view.
This leads Eddie to say, "I don't like the way you talk to me, Beatrice", whenever Beatrice disagrees with
him.
The Catherine - Rodolpho - Eddie Triangle.
When Eddie first hears that Beatrice's cousins have arrived he says it would be an 'honour' to help them,
despite the obvious risks involved. He knows how important it is to give the men a chance to work to send
money back to Italy. There is no doubt that Eddie understands the poverty they are escaping as his own
father had come to the U.S.A. from Italy. Eddie's willingness to offer hospitality shows that he is a good
man, aware of his responsibilities to others in the Italian-American community. This makes his later actions
an even greater shock.
Eddie is immediately impressed by the quiet dignity and maturity of Marco, but he is equally quickly irritated
by Rodolpho.
This is partly because of Rodolpho's personality, for he is an extrovert, quite loud, showy, lively and fun-
loving, but also because of his appearance. Eddie's stereotyping of Rodolpho because of his blond hair and
his voice shows prejudice, which reflects not just Eddie's attitudes but those of his time and culture.
. The Catherine - Rodolpho - Eddie Triangle Things which irritate Eddie
These are the things about Rodolpho which irritate Eddie:
His appearance; especially his blond 'wacky' hair. Eddie says of Rodolpho:
"he's like a chorus girl or sump'n".
His abilities and talents, e.g. dressmaking and cooking, which Eddie thinks are things only a woman should
do. This leads him to doubt whether Rodolpho is a 'real' man.
His fondness for singing out loud in his high tenor voice, even on the ships. Eddie is embarrassed that other
men laugh at Rodolpho for this. He is particularly angry when Rodolpho sings 'Paper Doll' because he thinks
the words may be related to Catherine and he becomes aware of the growing romance between her and
Rodolpho.
The stage directions state that Eddie is 'puffed with trouble' when he notices the growing affection between
Catherine and Rodolpho.
These are the things that annoy Eddie at first, but annoyance becomes hate when he realises that Rodolpho
is a rival for Catherine. In Act II, Eddie is furious with Catherine and Rodolpho for going to the cinema and
staying out late. Eddie believes that Rodolpho is deliberately dating Catherine in the hope of marrying her
and being able to stay in America.
It is difficult to decide whether this is a genuine concern or whether Eddie is using it as an excuse to cover
his real feeling which is sexual jealousy.
What do you think? It is unlikely that a man like Eddie would consider Rodolpho as a suitable partner for
Catherine, even if there was no sexual jealousy involved.
. The Catherine - Rodolpho - Eddie Triangle Eddie's motives
Whatever his motives, be they genuine concern to protect his niece or sexual jealousy, Eddie tries his
hardest to turn Catherine against Rodolpho and split them up.
He tries to humiliate Rodolpho in front of Catherine in the following ways:
He cleverly introduces the subject of boxing (a suitably masculine activity for Eddie) and, while pretending
to teach Rodolpho how to box, hits him in the mouth. For Eddie, this demonstrates to Catherine what a weak
man Rodolpho is and what a strong one he (Eddie) is. It also shows that Eddie thinks women are more
attracted to strong, aggressive males.
Note how Marco realises what Eddie is trying to do, so he challenges Eddie to a chair lifting contest,
showing Eddie he isn't the strongest man around.
Act I ends on a dramatic note with Marco triumphantly lifting the chair above Eddie's head 'like a weapon',
giving us a parallel with the end of Act II, when Marco again defeats Eddie in a physical struggle.
16. The Catherine - Rodolpho - Eddie Triangle A highly dramatic scene
In another highly dramatic scene, when a drunk Eddie returns home to find Rodolpho and Catherine
emerging from the bedroom, he attempts to humiliate Rodolpho in two ways:
First he kisses him full on the mouth, implying to Catherine that Rodolpho is gay.
Then he kisses Catherine passionately himself (this first expression of his true feelings for her probably
happens because the drink has reduced his inhibitions) to try to show Rodolpho that Catherine is already
his (Eddie's) and not available.
Kissing Catherine marks the point of no return for Eddie. He could no longer disguise his passion for her
and he realises, after this scene, that, if he forces Rodolpho out of the flat, Catherine will leave with her
fiancé so he will need to do something drastic if he is to prevent their marriage.
In desperation Eddie goes to Alfieri, the lawyer, to ask if there is anything which can be done legally to
prevent the marriage. Eddie says of Rodolpho; " the guy ain't right". Alfieri informs Eddie that there is
nothing the law can do. However, the obsessed, tortured Eddie remembers there is one thing he can do if he
is prepared to pay the price.
The Conclusion.
Realising that there is nothing the law can do to prevent the marriage of Rodolpho and Catherine, Eddie
remembers Alfieri's words. The lawyer had told him that the only thing he could do to prevent the marriage
would be to report to the Immigration Service that he had two illegal immigrants in his house. To do this
would amount to a betrayal of his wife, his family and his community and he would be an outcast, shunned
by everyone. In schools, pupils who 'grass' on others are despised, so you can imagine what Eddie would
have to endure
Alfieri had warned Eddie what would happen if he phoned:
"You won't have a friend in the world, Eddie. Even those who understand will turn against you. Put it out if
your mind."
But he can't. The rest of the play shows what desperate measures a human being is prepared to take when
he (or she) is in the grip of a great passion or obsession. Eddie has lost control of himself. His brain and
common sense have been overwhelmed by his physical and emotional desires even to the point of self-
destruction. It is frightening to watch and shows us that a passion, if strong enough, can lead us to betray
our community and friends.
It is Eddie's bad luck that two other illegal immigrants, relations of Lipari, the butcher, have moved into the
flat above without his knowing. When he gives the address to the Immigration Service it means he has
betrayed these men too and it makes his rejection by his community certain.
Marco spitting in Eddie's face and naming him as the betrayer are important acts in marking Eddie
as a social outcast. The final section of the play opens poignantly with Eddie "alone in the rocker,
rocking back and forth", emphasising his isolation from his family and community. He reminds me
of a wounded lion still trying to prove he is powerful. On the day of Catherine and Rodolpho's
wedding (emphasising that his act of betrayal had not managed to achieve his aim of destroying
their relationship), he is still trying to exert his authority over Beatrice. Eddie: "You walk out that
door to that wedding you ain't coming back here Beatrice." Beatrice: "Why? What do you want?"
Eddie: "I want my respect. Didn't you ever hear of that? From my wife." Probably because he
knows in his heart that he has lost it, Eddie is preoccupied in these final moments of the play with
having respect from his wife and from the community. Catherine tells him openly that he has lost
the right to any respect but Beatrice still seems to want to obey and love him. Beatrice says one
very important thing, which makes us think hard about the events in the play: "Whatever happened
we all done it, and don't you ever forget it, Catherine." Beatrice certainly doesn't believe that Eddie
is the only one to blame. Do you? There is an important conversation between Marco (awaiting
his deportation trial) and Alfieri in prison. You will remember that Eddie was amazed that the
law was powerless to stop Rodolpho marrying Catherine; Marco is equally astounded that there
is no law to punish Eddie for his betrayal which, as Marco puts it,
" degraded my brother. My blood. He robbed my children, he mocks my work."
Marco realises that, as his family have been insulted, he has a duty, under the code of vendetta,
to satisfy the family's honour by gaining revenge on Eddie. So Marco, despite promises to the
contrary, seeks out Eddie as soon as he is let out of prison to await his trial.
It is easy to miss one significant point. Rodolpho mentions to Eddie that Marco
" is coming. He's praying in the church".
Part of the ritual of the vendetta was that the person prayed for God's help and for success in
the act of vengeance. It is interesting that murder for revenge was seen not as an act of
unjustified violence but divine justice, doing what the law was unable to do.
You will note that Marco says, of Eddie, to Alfieri:
" In my country he would be dead now. He would not live this long."
Those who violate the community's code face the prospect of revenge from the family of the victim.
We have learned enough about Eddie to know that he will not try to escape when he knows Marco
is coming, although Rodolpho, Beatrice and Catherine urge him to do so.
Eddie would have considered this cowardice and he is also determined to make Marco apologise for
spitting in his face and making his public accusation of betrayal.
Eddie probably knows that he faces a life of loneliness and of being shunned by his community. To
him such a life would not be worth living and he would rather risk death in a confrontation with Marco
in the hope of perhaps regaining his good name by making Marco apologise.
It is a faint hope, but Eddie has to cling to it.
In the event, Marco merely repeats his accusations and, in the ensuing fight, kills Eddie. It is a
powerful, dramatic ending to the play. The audience is left with many thoughts.
Alfieri proclaims Eddie's epitaph:
"He would not settle for half, whereas most of the time, in these civilised days,
most of us do."
Throughout the play, Eddie has refused to compromise, whereas most of us do, most of the
time. He is driven to his death by this aspect of his personality,because of his own, however
misguided, conception of justice and right. He has refused to accept the fact that he is powerless
to prevent his niece from loving someone else and cannot accept that the law is sometimes
unable to provide what he, Eddie, considers to be justice.
Speaking of Eddie's death, Arthur Miller wrote in the preface to the play:
"We are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need
be, to secure one thing - his sense of personal dignity and to gain his rightful
position in society. He refuses to remain passive in the face of what he
conceives to be a challenge to his dignity. Only the passive, only those who
accept their lot without active retaliation, are 'flawless'. Most of us are in that
category."
Eddie, then, is an exceptional man, more prepared to press things to the limit than most of us
are.
All works of literature have a number of themes. These are ideas which the author has which
she or he wants to share with the audience or with readers, for us to think about. So what are
the main themes of A View from the Bridge?
Betrayal
Arthur Miller was particularly interested in what makes a person (in this case, Eddie) betray
the trust even of people he loves and of the community in which she or he lives. In most
cases it is passion (often sexual desire)which leads a person into betrayal. Eddie betrays
Marco, Rodolpho, Lipari's relations and their families when he telephones the Immigration
Service. He betrays Beatrice's love for him by his passion for her niece. He also betrays
Catherine's love for him as a father-figure and he betrays his own principles, all because he
is in the grip of his strong sexual passion.
Illusions
Many of Miller's characters suffer from illusions about what the world is like. This eventually
leads to some lack of reality about the nature of the world. Eddie's great illusion is that he
can keep Catherine as a 'baby' all her life and prevent her having contact with the more
unpleasant aspects of life. He also seems to have illusions about what a dangerous world it
is and how untrustworthy people are. You may remember the rather cynical advice he gave
Catherine:
"Don't trust nobody. Believe me, Katie, the less you trust, the less you be sorry."
The great irony is that Eddie is the one who is less worthy of trust than anyone in the play.
Reputation and Community
Many of us are content if we believe we have acted properly. If our own conscience is
satisfied, we do not worry unnecessarily what others think of us. For many of Arthur
Miller's heroes, including Eddie, this is not enough. They need to have the community's
approval and respect. You will remember Eddie's comment when he is being urged to run
from Marco.
Eddie says:
"I want my name."
In order to live happily, Eddie needs his good name restored. Many of Miller's heroes,
including Eddie, would rather die than lose their good name with the rest of the community.
Law and Justice
A View from the Bridge makes us think about the issues of law and justice. The character,
Alfieri, despite knowing in his heart about the probable tragic ending, is unable to do
anything because the law is not adequate to deal with the strongest of human emotions.
Neither is the law the same as justice.
Marco believes that justice would be for Eddie to die because he has, in effect, caused
Marco's family to starve. Yet the American law approves of Eddie's action in reporting
illegal immigrants. Miller, therefore, makes us question whether the law of a country is
concerned with justice.
The law of the government may be different from the law of the community in keeping the
law of the country. Try to think of it in terms of schools. There are the rules (laws) made by
the teachers; don't misbehave in class etc., and the rules of the pupils; don't grass on your
friends. Keeping the 'laws' of the teachers may cause you to break the 'laws' of the pupils,
and vice versa.
The Importance of Fate
There seems to be little to be done to avoid the tragedy of Eddie's death. It all seems
predestined because of the situation Eddie is in and the powerful emotions he has. Miller
makes us think about the extent to which human beings are able to control events. Certainly
the intelligent Alfieri is incapable of preventing the tragedy
. The Style of the Play.
There are a few important points:
The importance of conflict
Note how many conversations in the play have two or more characters in conflict over an issue.
This gives the play more energy.
Dramatic moments
Note how the conversations are broken up by scenes of dramatic action: e.g.
the lifting of the chair
the kissing scene
the boxing scene
the fight at the end of the play
This means the audience's emotions fluctuate; quiet moments of conversation are broken up by
sections of action which raise the emotions of the audience.
Links with Greek tragedies.
Note how the character, Alfieri, acts like the chorus in a Greek tragedy. He summarises events
which take place off-stage and he comments on the actions of the main characters, bringing a
more balanced, rational viewpoint on the actions of the impassioned characters.
Language in the play.
One of the most impressive things about the play is the way Miller has captured the language
and manners of the Italian community. Almost any sentence from the play would illustrate this,
but note how, in the following example, the real language of the longshoremen has been caught:
Eddie: "I ain't startin' nothin', but I ain't gonna stand around lookin' at that (Rodolpho). For that
character I didn't bring her up."
You can see how, by dropping the final letter on some words and changing the correct order of
the words in the second sentence, Miller has made the language realistic.