Eddie's Responsibility for his Own Death in J.B. Priestley's A View From the Bridge
The main cause behind Eddie's liability of his own death was his
stubborn and inarticulate behaviour; these were the main causes of
isolation from his only family.
In the opening scene of the play 'A view from the bridge', after
Alfieri's speech to the audience, we are shown the strong bond between
Eddie and his niece Catherine. Catherine thinks highly of Eddie, 'You
like it? I fixed it different. He's here B.!', and instantly looks for
his approval. The overall feelings you see between these two
characters are caring, concern but also control. 'She sits on her
heels beside him', this is a good example of Eddie's control, and how
Eddie is a dominant character within the family during the play.
Within this scene the staging should reflect the control that Eddie,
has, and although he generally cares about his niece she is never in
the centre of the room or lighting. Therefore Eddie should sit down on
his chair in the centre of the room with the main light shining on
him. This way the audience is focused on Eddie, making him the central
character. Catherine at this point should be kneeling by his side to
show her being inferior.
Eddie's importance in Catherine's life soon fades, we can trace his
isolation from when Beatrice's cousins, Marco and Rodolfo arrive.
Eddie instantly takes a disliking to Rodolfo, 'he is coming more and
more to address Marco only', even from the start, Eddie, without
realising that any harm will come of it, is isolating himself from
Rodolfo. Catherine is a naïve young woman, who for all this time has
hung on Eddie's every word, until now. Catherine is fascinated with
Rodolfo, his blonde hair, his accent, the way he sings; he is not an
average Italian man. This is a situation Eddie is not comfortable
with, however, as he is a man who struggles to show his feelings with
the use of words, he instead makes the wrong move of embarrassing