Exploring the Themes of Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge

Exploring the Themes of Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge East of Staten Island is Brooklyn, the second largest borough and the

most populous. As a freestanding city Brooklyn, with its 1990

population of 2,300,664, would rank as the fourth largest city in the

United States. Poised at the western edge of Long Island, Brooklyn is

a sprawling patchwork of industrial sites and shipyards (Red Hook),

blighted ghettos (Bedford-Stuyvesant and Williamsburg), and quiet,

well-preserved neighborhoods (Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, Cobble

Hill, Boerum Hill, Carroll Gardens). Back in the 1950's when 'A View

From The Bridge' was set it wasn't much different apart from being a

lot poorer. But compared to the lives of those living in Italy at the

time, Brooklyn was a haven of bright lights, money and beautiful

women. Many immigrants, most illegal, would go over to America from

Italy to find work in order to send money back to Italy to help feed

their families. The illegal immigrants would be shipped from Italy by

the mafia who would then find them work but take a large portion of

their in payment; after which the immigrants would be forced to

survive on their own. However many immigrants had arrangements made

for them by their families who had already settled in America before

the immigration laws were brought in.

There are many themes contained in the theatrical drama of 'A view

form the bridge'. There are also some ideas that add to the drama of

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Catherine also causes Eddie to feel threatened but in a more naive

way. For example when Eddie has a go at Catherine because he thinks

her skirt is "too short" and she is "walking wavy", Eddie can't tell

Catherine why he doesn't want her wearing those clothes, she begins to

argue and therefore threaten Eddies authority.

The ideas of manliness, hostility and aggression are pivotal for the

structure of the play to succeed; the three ideas are used

prophetically to show the audience that the play can only end in a

hostile and aggressive disaster as a result of the characters manly

features. Arthur Miller's views aren't clearly portrayed in the play,

but I think that he feels hostility and aggression doesn't solve

anything and often the real man is the one who will try to discuss

issues and reach a compromise.