A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
THEMES:
A View from The Bridge represents a world which legal, moral , ethical and
social issues are in conflict with one another. Although Alfieri, as a lawyer,
provides an interpretation of civil law, from his very first monologue, he also
shows that such law is not always a cultural precedent followed in the context
of a Sicilian neighbourhood in Brooklyn. The law is not always clear nor does
it satisfy basic instincts. Alfieri has witnessed men being “justly shot by
unjust men”. The longshoremen of the play operate outside technical legality
and sometimes consider illegal action “just” in their court. Harbouring illegal
aliens is a sanctioned activity- the act of informing is abhorrent- a crime
against the clan. Alfieri gives voice to these contradictions to both Eddie and
Marco but he is powerless to prevent the law of the tribe from being enacted.
As the play moves to its conclusion, we see how moral law is far more
persuasive than civil law. The scenes in Act 1 and Act 2 when Eddie visits
Alfieri’s office, forcefully present the contrast between the social, moral and
legal codes that operate in the play. Eddie wants to prevent Catherine and
Rodolpho’s marriage because “the guy ain’t right”.( he gives reasons that
Rudolph sings and cooks and he further questions Rudolpho’s sexuality by
kissing him to just to avoid the love between Catherine and Rudolph to
blossom). But Alfieri tells him that “morally and legally you have no rights”.
Eddie fails to understand how Alfieri’s explanation of civil law interprets natural
law. As a lawyer, Alfieri functions under a code of modern American
society which he describes in his very first commentary in the play as” more
civilised”. However, in Alfieri’s own words, Eddie is not connected to this
civilised law – his nature harks back to his roots in the old world. Because
Eddie has no legal recourse to stop Catherine and Rodolpho’s relationship, he
chooses to act according to his own code. Alfieri points out to him that he
will drown if he violates the social and moral codes so powerful, especially
the ethnic code that he breaches by reporting Marco and Rodolpho.
It is ironic that according to the code operating in red hook Eddie is
technically committing a crime by harbouring illegal people- but this action is
permissible, even sanctioned by the community. Making the phone call to report
illegal immigrants according to civil law is the proper action; however the
play illustrates that the moral law of the Italian society supersedes civil
law- an action which makes Eddie an outcast.
The violation if this ethnic code is enforced in the scene between Alfieri and
Marco after his arrest by immigration officers. Marco seeks revenge on Eddie as
he has violated the Sicilian code based on loyalty to one’s blood and family,
and the violation exacts terrible consequences. As Marco says “in my country he
would be dead now”. Alfieri is reluctant to bail out Marco unless he promises
not to exact this revenge -“to promise not to kill is not dishonourable” . Ironically,
Marco has the same difficulty as Eddie in understanding how the civil law
conflicts with his moral code -“then what is to be done with such a man”.
Marco’s frustration at the law, not punishing Eddie shows how the law is
at odds with Marco’s sense of justice. Here, civilised America undermines the
ethnic code of Marco’s land, which abhors the violation of “blood”. For
Sicilians, this violation must be avenged, offering us another view of how
justice has its sway in different worlds.
Also include the element of power struggle between men here.
At first, Eddie was the most powerful male in the household and everyone would
abide by his rules. However, after the arrival of the illegal immigrants, Eddie
cannot battle with the youth and vigour Rudolpho has to offer to Catherine who
is immediately attracted to him and this results in the first case of a power
struggle between a male protagonist and a male antagonist in the play. The
second case is explored wherein there are petty feuds between Marco and Eddie
which finally lead on to result in the eventual death of the male protagonist,
Eddie Carbone.this is the second case of power struggle between the men in “A
View From The Bridge”
Miller’s
plays concern themselves with the issues of characters accepting responsibility
for their actions. At its core, “A view From The Bridge” illustrates the
complexity of accepting- or denying- full responsibility of ones action and the
affect this has on ones self, family and society. Eddie declares that
“Catherine is my niece, and I am responsible for her”, but Eddie perverts his
responsibility to her and in the process violates the codes that bind him to
his community. The consequences are tragic.
One
of the most shocking aspects of Eddie’s failure to fulfil his responsibility is
that the play initially depicts him as fully aware of his role as a surrogate
father to Catherine, husband to Beatrice, a willing host to Marco and Rodolpho
and a member of his immigrant community. Although Miller was intrigued by the
story on which he based the play and wanted to illustrate the events as a work
of fate, the playwright in Miller wanted to show that humans are not only the
victims of forces beyond their control. His characters determine their own
destinies. Most of Eddie’s actions are purposeful- his attack on Rodolpho, the
passionate kissing of Catherine, the demeaning kiss on Rodolpho’s lips, the
information he delivers to the immigration bureau. His failure is that he is
never truly aware of the part he had played in the unfolding of these terrible
events. Refusing to accept blame, he displays no guilt and accepts his
responsibility, even when the catastrophe he caused is pointed out to him. In
contrast, Beatrice and Rodolpho clearly take full responsibility for the
choices they have made.
From the perspective of
Eddie’s society, informing on Marco and Rodolpho to the immigration authorities
is a heinous act. Although Eddie snitches for personal motives- to have
Rodolpho deported and therefore eliminated from Catherine’s life- he
unwittingly commits an act of betrayal not only on his family, but also on the
larger circle of the immigrant society in which he lives.
He makes the call without
knowing that Beatrice has arranged to move Marco and Rodolpho to an upstairs
neighbours apartment where other illegal immigrants are housed. His violation
of what is in fact cultural and community concerns become public when Marco
accuses him before the gathered neighbours. As a result, he becomes obsessed
with his reputation- and it is his mania to maintain his dignity which
ultimately leads to his death.
In “A view from the
bridge” Miller was also interested in exploring further the themes of betrayal
and informing that he had previously used in his other plays like “The
crucible”. Eddie Carbone is an amalgam of motives, emotions and unreconciled
conflicts. Miller structures his play for us to witness and consider its
multiple resonances and as we do so it is difficult to condemn Eddie without
sympathy.
CHARACTERS:
Eddie Carbone is one of Arthur Miller’s most complicated and puzzling
protagonist. After writing the one at the London version of the play miller
said that the meaning of Eddie’s fate still remains a mystery to him. Concerned
about telling the myth “like march of the tale” without embellishment, Miller
remained unsettled by Eddie’s tragedy. Miller thought that the addition of
significant psychological and behavioural details, including Beatrice and
Catherines view point would render the play not only more human, warmer and
less remote, but also provide a clearer statement.
Eddie’s complex personality manifests itself in a series of
contradictory actions that violates the codes by which he lives. We are shocked
and appalled by much of what he does – his feelings for Catherine are nothing
if not incestuous – and his disregard for Beatrice violates their marriage
vows. His attack on Rodolpho involves several motives and his betrayal of the
cousins to the immigration authority is inexcusable.
Alfieri clearly judges that “he was as good a man as he had to be in a
life that was hard and even”. This goodness must be considered in any
evaluation of his character. He has raised Catherine, he agrees to put up
“submarines” who are after all Beatrice’s cousins not his, just as Catherine is
Beatrice’s biological niece. He is a decent provider and a hard worker. There
is even a reference to Beatrice having taken in relatives after her fathers
house burned down causing Eddie to sleep on the floor. He is genuinely moved by
the prospect of taking in the illegal immigrants, even while acknowledging the
substantial legal risk that this involves. All of his actions in the play are
motivated by what he believes are the best interests of Catherine. His concerns
about her safety in a new job and her attractiveness to young men seem
initially appropriate and paternal. Nor is he portrayed as intractable – he
gives into Beatrice and Catherines pleas and allows her to take the job she id
offered. His sense of duty is laudable – he promised Catherines mother on her
death bed to raise her and he had done exactly that. All of this kindness is
compromised when he is unwilling, indeed unable, to see any other point of view
once he sets himself the task of protecting Catherine.
Alfieri describes a passion that “had moved into his body like a
stranger”. Eddie Carbone is a man in whom passion outweighs reason. He does not
understand his desire, even when it is pointed out to him. When Alfieri
suspects that Eddie is on the verge of an act of betrayal he warns him of the
consequences; “you won’t have a friend in the world Eddie! Even those who
understand will turn against you”, despite the warning Eddie makes the fateful
telephone call. He doesn’t even seem to recognise the impulse that leads to
kissing rodolpho.
One way to understand Eddie is to see him in the context of his culture
revising the play for the London version, Miller sought to place Eddie squarely
in relation to the culture codes of his Sicilian – American environment of red
hook in the mid nineteen fifties. Eddies world is insular, personal, familial,
social and religious. For the transplanted Sicilians, they are the unifying
factors that determine their relationship to the docks and the streets of their
neighbourhood, even to their own homes. When Eddie crosses these boundaries he
is doomed.
Eddie belongs to a long line of Miller’s characters who want to protect
the dignity of their names. In view from the bridge Eddie carbon similarly
wants his good name back. Although Alfieri’s final monologue mourns him “I
admit it, with a certain…alarm”. Miller said that “Eddie is still not a man to
weep over”. As a tragic figure Eddie cries out for personal dignity, even
though he is in wrongful pursuit of a dignity he has himself never really
understood.
Beatrice is depicted as the devoted wife of Eddie
and the mother figure to Catherine. Her genuine goodness and generosity is
shown by how she has raised Catherine, her sister’s child. Initially in the
play Beatrice’s character seems stereotypical – she is concerned about the
cooking and the cleanliness of the apartment, she exhibits the appropriate
deference to Eddie as husband and man of the house seeking his permission and
approval for Catherine’s job and her cousins stay in the apartment. She
genuinely means it when he calls him an angel and proclaims that he will be
blessed for his good deeds.
However this is not to suggest that Beatrice is a
flat, one-dimensional character. She had considerable depth and complexity and
the ability to respond sensibly to the conflicts that erupt when her cousins
arrive. Beatrice is often a mediator. At the beginning of the play she
successfully convinces that Catherine, now 17 is no longer a child and that he
must let her grow up. When Eddie objects to Cathrine and Rodopho’s growing
relationship, Beatrice tries to persuade him that it is time he lets her go. In
the final scene of act 1, she is particularly adept at reading the tension
between Eddie, Catherine and Rodolpho – she encourages Rodolpho and Catherine
to dance, she gently probes Marco about his wife, moderates Eddie’s scoffing at
Rodolpho and questions why Eddie needs to teach Rodolpho to box. In act 2, she
makes the arrangements to move Marco and Rodolpho to another apartment.
Beatrice is perceptive about the complexity of
Eddie and Catherine’s relationship. She is aware of both Catherine’s as well as
Eddie’s complex feelings for each other. Her dimensions as a character is also
evident in the way Miller depicts Eddie and Beatrice’s sexual relationship in
the two act play. Beatrice has needs and desires of her own and she needs
Catherine out of the household in order to preserve her own marriage. Cathrines
sexual maturity coincides with Eddie’s apparent impotence. Beatrice wants her
husband back as a lover but Eddie’s physical attraction to Catherine interferes
with Beatrice’s married life.
Catherine is a character who develops
her own strength during the course of the play. In the first scenes, she
conveys an innocence that belies her seventeen years. She is compliant and
deferential, particularly to Eddie. Yet, the play begins exactly at the moment
when Catherine is coming of age and she is aware of her budding femininity and
womanhood. Her desire to take a secretarial job indicates her search for the
independence of adulthood. She is clearly devoted to Eddie, her surrogate
father and still seeks his permission, approval and affirmation in most aspects
of her life. Her change from child to adult is swift. Initially her innocence
is evident in her awe at rodolpho’s blonde hair and her naive questions about
life in Italy. She is immediately attracted to him, but once they establish a
serious relationship, she begins her separation from Eddie, the center of the
play’s conflict. In the scene when Eddie suggests that rodolpho is only using
her to gain passports, she rejects his suggestion,” I don’t believe it and I
wish to hell you’d stop it.”the final scene of act one, when Catherine
purposefully and provocatively dances with rodolpho is the final, physical
manifestation of her selfhood as a woman.
The first scene of act 2 is crucial. In
Catherine’s conversation with rodolpho, she shows a sensitivity to Eddie’s
needs as a man and a remarkable perception that Beatrice does not provide for
them. Underlying Catherine’s speech is the suggestion of sexual awareness. Her
own sexual needs will be fulfilled by rodolpho. Catherine is even complicit in
the loss of her own virginity. she initiates their love- making when she says
to rodolpho, “ teach me…I don’t know anything”, underlining her own
inexperience. Catherine and rodolpho’s awareness of their own sexuality
magnifies even further the shock of Eddie’s kiss which occurs moments later.
Just before this occurs, Catherine expresses an awareness of her newly found
maturity when she says, “ Eddie, I am not gonna be a baby anymore”. The image
of her as a baby contrast sharply with her physical experience as a woman.
Eddie’s kiss is therefore dramatic, the physical struggle to love her as a
child/baby and desire her as a woman.
Rodolpho is the younger of the two
submarines, and his role in the play is in contrast to that of his brother
Marco in many ways. With no family in Italy to support, he has no
responsibilities and has come to indulge himself in the American dream of opportunity.
He has the idealism and spirit of youth and sees possibility in all things. He
enjoys life and loves to share his joys with others. The playwright details the
generous spirit of this blonde Italian with his singing in the hotel at Italy,
cooking for the men at sea, singing at the red hook docks- all of which Eddie
neither appreciates nor understands. Rodolpho proclaims his intention to become
an American citizen and return to Italy , a rich man. Catherine is immediately
attracted to rodolpho’s joyous spirit and he is equally attracted to her. Their
young love is genuine, a result of his awe at this new world of New York with
its movies, theatres and night lives and her wonder at the cultural difference
of rodolpho’s life in Italy with its lemons, fountains and old world charm.
Like Catherine, rodolpho is subject to change. He possesses a seriousness which
temper his inclination to be fun loving, and he provides appropriate respect to
Eddie.
The turning point in rodolpho’s development
comes in the final scene of act 1 which occurs late one evening after dinner.
Eddie questions Marco about the sexual fidelity of wives back in Italy – he
does this to emphasise to both Marco and rodolpho that American girl. Catherine
are not “easy”. He again complains about rodolpho’s lack of respect in keeping
Catherine out late. Marco initially reinforces Eddie’s position by telling
rodolpho that he must obey his host. When Catherine asks rodolpho he agrees to
do so only reluctantly, for he fears Eddie’s reaction. Eddie seethes as he
watches the engage in dancing and react by coaxing rodolpho into a boxing match
– intended as an aggressive display of his superior physical strength in his
own territory. Eddie strikes a staggering blow and satisfied for the moment,
but then a defiant rodolpho immediately turns to Catherine and asks her to
dance, a direct challenge to Eddie’s authority as well as his perceived
physical strength.
Rodolpho’s true character emerges in
the final scene of the play. Despite the way Eddie has treated him, he warns
him that Marco is coming to wreak vengeance upon him.he takes responsibility
for his own wrongdoing and even goes so far as to kiss Eddie on his hand in
deference, and proclaims” I have made all our troubles”. Clearly , rodolpho,
steeped in Italian much more than Eddie understands that the upcoming
confrontation with Marco can only result in bloodshed.
As opposed to younger rodolpho, Marco is a serious, dark and
brooding brother. He has come to America because the poor economic conditions
of post war Italy have made it difficult for him to support his wife and three
children, one of whom is seriously ill. Marco is grateful and appropriately
deferential and he often reminds rodolpho to display the same respect. Marco’s
situation is made clear on the first night he arrives. He is moved to tears
when he realises that he will immediately find work on the docks and can begin
to send money back to his wife right away. He is eternally grateful to Eddie
and spends considerable time and physical strength in the loading and unloading
of the cargo ships of red hook.
Marco is nonetheless a force to be reckoned with, especially when
crossed. This is exhibited at the conclusion of act 1, when Eddie defeats
rodolpho in the boxing match. Eddie has his own tactic turned on him when Marco
challenges him to lift one leg of the chair with a single hand and Eddie is
unable to so. By raising the chair over eddies head, Marco conveys a threat to
Eddie – that he will protect his brother, his blood, should Eddie overstep the
line again. His action foreshadows his challenge to Eddie at the end of the
play.
Alfieri in a view from the bridge is a representation of Arthur
millers concern with Crome, law, and prison sentences with were relevant to the
illegal immigrants who come to settle and find their fortune in the amreican
land of opportunities. The American dream therefore is like a green light,
which beckons at people who aspire for privileges and a better way to lead
their lives. Alfieri, as a representative of law, fulfils a dual role, he is
both the narrator of the action represented in the play, as well as an active
participant in the plot line. As the narrator of the play, he comments on the
action and it is mediated through his eyes – alfieri could be said to establish
the “view” to which the plays title refers. His opening monologue summaries the
idea that he represents the “bridge” – he is a bridge between the old and new
worlds, a bridge between the audience and the action, and a bridge between the
various characters.
Alfieri however is a member of the Sicilian- American culture in
which he lives and acknowledges the superior status that his legal profession
gives him in the Brooklyn neighbourhood. He had been born in Italy and is a
genuine immigrant who truly understands the connections between the old and the
new world. His role as a narrator embodies the importance and dimension of
Eddie carbone’s story and he struggle hard to understand Eddie’s actions and
fate. Eddie is more than a client – for alfieri he represents something almost
larger than life itself.
As a participant in the action of the play, alfieri is both a
father confessor and an arbiter of the law. Miller gives him three important
scenes – Eddie in his office in act 1, again with Eddie in his office in act 2,
and in the detention center offering advice to Marco. In the play alfieri
represents the American civil law, but he is also crucial in showing how the
civil law and justice conflict with the morals operating in the Sicilian –
American society.
prepIGCSE 