Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge

Arthur Miller's A View from the Bridge

'A View from the Bridge' is a story of Eddie Carbone an Italian

longshoreman working on the New York docks. He is an immigrant who has

worked hard to bring up his wife's niece, Catherine. His wife,

Beatrice, is close to Eddie but the relationship between them is not

good as they have been through a bad patch and have not had sex for

some time. Eddie is too close to Catherine and is over protective

about her. He loves her like she were his girlfriend and he does not

like any men, getting involved or looking at her. However, things are

about to change when his wife's cousins, Marco and Rodolpho, seek

refuge as illegal immigrants from Sicily. It is the Sicilian code of

honour that they should be protected. Eddie agrees to shelter them but

little does he know that Catherine would fall in love with Rodolpho.

Eddie is blinded with insane and jealousy. In the end he commits an

unforgivable crime to get rid of Rodolpho, even though the

consequences were that he will be a hated outcast from his community.

Eddie informs on Marco and Rodolpho to the authorities. Marco and

Rodolpho are arrested but when Marco gets out on bail he murders

Eddie.

In the scene where we meet Eddie, Catherine and Beatrice:

Eddie and one of his workmates, Louis, have just finished their job

and are going home. As Eddie goes home he sees Catherine waving to

Louis. Catherine greets Eddie and shows him her new skirt. Catherine

sits Eddie down and waits for Beatrice (in the Kitchen) to come so

that she can say her news. Eddie compliments Catherine on how nice her

skirt looks but also complains. Eddie tells Catherine that Beat...

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...on or friendly.

Eddie's feelings are too strong, his personality is too fixed, the

culture he grew up within is too dominant for him to escape and so

Eddie is blinded by his insanity and jealousy and gets rid of Marco

and Rodolpho although he knows it will mean that he will be hated

outcast from his community.

In conclusion I think Arthur Miller show the strains on the Carbone

household in the scene where the audience first meets Eddie, Catherine

and Beatrice by showing the relationship and attitude Eddie shows

openly and intentionally towards Beatrice compared with Catherine, the

way Beatrice and Catherine responds their feelings towards Eddie and

how Eddie's character is displayed as the man of the house and

everyone who lives in the Carbone household lives under his rule and

that Eddie's tragedy is inevitable.