A View from the Bridge - Essay Example

A View from the Bridge A View from the Bridge, which was originally a one-act play written by Arthur Miller in 1955, was inspired by the story of a longshoreman who informed the Immigration Bureau of his relatives' presence as illegal immigrants; an act done by the said dock worker as a means to prevent one of his kin from marrying his niece. However, the said act was believed to have consequently caused his sudden disappearance, as well as the conjecture of his alleged murder that was believed to have been committed by one of the brothers as an act of vengeance. Upon hearing the title, one probably will have the impression of a boring play. The time setting, which is between 1940 and 1960, may not appeal to the interest of the present-day audience. But analytically speaking, the story contains more substance than many stories written by most contemporary writers. It connotes the favorability as well as the dangers one must experience and endure when living in a foreign land. Brian Phillips and his group, in their analysis of the play, commented that: [It] is a play largely concerned with discovery. As [Italian-American lawyer] Alfieri warns, no one can ever know what will be discovered. There are two secrets in the play: Eddie's incestuous desires for his niece and the two illegal immigrants hiding in the Carbone home, Marco and Rodolpho. [qtd. in Sparknotes, 18] The play, which is set to happen in an Italian-American community known as Red Hook, situated in the waterfront in Brooklyn, New York City, tells the story of Eddie Carbone, a longshoreman who feels something toward his niece other than filial love and how his life ends tragically because of it. Eddie Carbone - the center of the story - is a character who was created as an ordinary man; the type of person whom everyone will learn to love. However, Miller did not create a totally perfect character, but rather gave him flaws and weaknesses; his weakness is mainly concentrated in his love for his niece, Catherine. Some critics describe Eddie's personality as: [] a suitable subject for a modern tragedy because the potential for self-destruction, which is in all of us, in Eddie's case has destroyed him. And apart from this improper love, Eddie is a good man; and this love has its origin in the quite proper love of father for child, and Eddie's sense of duty to his family and community. [A View from the Bridge] In a review of the play, another critic commented: Eddie sets in motion against one person rains a whole avalanche of destruction. Like many classic tragic figure (including Shakespeare's Hamlet), Eddie's effort to get rid of the one man he perceives as his enemy, cannot control fate's ripple effect on Marco, Marco's family and the hapless additional underground border - and, as importantly, his own standing in the tight-knit community. [Sommer] Despite Eddie's efforts to hide his feelings toward his niece, he is not able to do so, as shown in his actions. Although his wife Beatrice is aware of the fact of Eddie's non-paternal feelings toward her niece, she tries to ignore it and pretends that everything is just normal. Eddie's relationship with his wife and niece becomes more complex when he takes into the shelter of their home the two illegal immigrants, Marco and his brother Rodolpho, cousins of Eddie's wife Beatrice. Eddie's problem starts when one of the brothers, Rodolpho becomes romantically involved with his niece Catherine to whom Eddie harbors special feelings. Eddie tries everything in order to stop Rodolpho and Catherine from getting married, including seeking lawyer Alfieri's advice, making Catherine see Rodolpho's flaws and finally reporting the two brothers to the Immigration Bureau, an act which destroys Eddie's good reputation in the community. Eddie, however, is not able to stop the marriage from taking place. Embittered by hatred for Rodolpho and probably also driven by frustration, he refuses to reconcile with the younger man. In the end, Rodolpho becomes and American citizen through his marriage to Catherine, while his brother Marco gets deported by the Immigration Bureau. As an act of vengeance, Marco attacks Eddie, who in turn lunges at him with a knife. But Marco is quicker to twist the older man's hand that he is able to turn Eddie's knife against him and kill him in the process. Eddie, the leading character, may appear as an ideal head of the family; being a good provider and someone whom one can rely on when it comes to making major decisions, as evident in how his wife and niece seek his approval even in the least of things. He appears to be strong-willed and authoritative as he asserts his role as the family head, but try digging deeper, and one will see that Eddie's strength is superficial. He tries to hide his weakness by pretending to be tough when in truth, he is scared of the unexplainable feelings he holds toward his niece. His incestuous feelings for his niece Catherine, urges him to become overprotective of her up to the extent of preventing her from marrying another man in the person of Rodolpho - an illegal immigrant and one of the two brothers who happen to have blood relations with Eddie's wife, Beatrice. Beatrice Carbone, as opposed to her husband's strong character, possesses a weaker disposition. Her submissiveness, though further boosts her husband's ego because it proves his power as the head of the family, in a way, contributes to her husband's downfall in the end. Her soft heart when it comes to her husband's and niece's concerns made her incapable to fight for her love for Eddie and for her rightful place as the only woman in his life. Beatrice's character symbolizes not only what many believe as weakness of the feminine gender, but also the common notion that women are incapable of making tough decisions the way men can. Catherine, on the other hand, in her naiveness, is unaware of her uncle's unusual affection for her. Her innocence hinders her from realizing the fact that her uncle lusts after her and selfishly wants her all for himself. Her dependence on Eddie and her efforts to win his approval even in little things, only shows her inexperience that is brought about by her young age. Her aggressiveness in deciding to marry Rodolpho and her tendency to be swayed by sweet words shows how innocent she is concerning the realities of life. In this story, the lawyer Alfieri can be compared to a bridge - the Brooklyn Bridge, which symbolizes the link between the American and the Italian cultures as shown by Alfieri's efforts to unite the Italian culture with the American law. Some critics describe Alfieri as: [] the bridge between Italian custom and American law, [who] reveals an objective view of the community and Carbone family [] The play is Alfieri's memory narrative, the narrative is in the past, but enacted in the present. The final conflict, for Alfieri, is not between tribal and state law, but between personal and communal truth. [qtd. in Sparknotes, 25]. Meanwhile, Rodolpho, one of the two illegal immigrant brothers, can be described as ambitious and in a way a user. It can be sensed that his feelings for Catherine is not as deep as it may seem and he only uses her in order to achieve his main goal and that is to become an American citizen. On the other hand, Marco, Rodolpho's brother can be described as the type of person who will do everything possible in order to sustain the needs of his family, even if it endangers himself. As opposite to his brother, he is the type of person who puts his family's welfare ahead of his. The leading character of the story may have shown his strength from in the beginning but if we are going to analyze it, we will eventually come to conclude that Eddie Carbone's true character is weak. He is scared to face the fact that he is in love with his niece and tries to ignore it, probably because he is afraid of what will happen if he acknowledges the intensity of his feelings. Furthermore, he tries to hide the fact that he needs his wife. He pretends that he is strong and that his decisions are the ones to be followed. It is only before he dies that he finally admits to himself his need for his wife. Beatrice, on the other hand, a weak character portrayed at the beginning seems to be the stronger one, for she remains loyal to her husband up to the end. Aware of her husband's many flaws, she does not fail to give him the support he needs and even at the time of his death, she shows her unconditional love for him through forgiveness. To sum it all up, Beatrice is brave enough to show her weakness and face whatever trials comes her way. According to one critic, the story of A View from the Bridge "has power and substance."1 And I say that I agree to that, since it projects the realities of life and somehow it teaches the viewer to be brave in facing his weakness. That having a weakness is only natural and one must deal with it instead of hiding it. It is quite true about one critic say about the play needing "a good cast and production to do it good justice." 2 Steve Orme also commented that it is "a powerful, thought-provoking tragedy which is not without humour before the denouement." 3 It is quite true that this play was written with such passion that would capture the emotions of the viewers especially if the characters are properly portrayed, it is bound to capture the hearts of many. The story however, does not only gives emphasis to the strength and weakness of the characters but it tells something about the society as well. In one analysis of the play, a critic commented: The central conflict of characters in A View from the Bridge is negotiation between tribal and country law. In other words, the characters must reconcile between the social laws of the Red hook Sicilian-American community and the laws that they are bound to by the state [] Alfieri, the Italian-American lawyer who narrates the play is the great compromises between Sicilian law and American laws. [qtd. in Sparknotes, 24-25] Eddie represents anyone in the community of strangers who takes effort in building a good reputation among his neighbors. He represents the image of an ideal father who is the head of the family. His efforts to keep his family members closely knit only shows the strength of his character and his authority over his family members. But Eddie also represents every weakness and fear there is in any ordinary person. They fear of knowing the truth, especially if the process of doing so will hurt him. Each character in the play, if one will make a careful study, is determined to fight for his or her principle in life; to fight for what he or she believe is right. Arthur Miller's writing is capable of moving the hearts of the viewer. It may not be the best story ever told but it definitely is a story to remember. 1Atkinson, Brooks. "A View from the Bridge." (9 October 1955): 14 pars. 15 April 2006. . 2 Orme, Steve. "A View from the Bridge." Jenny King for the Touring Consortium at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. (200): 11 pars. 14 April 2006. . 3 Ibid. Work Cited Atkinson, Brooks. "A View from the Bridge." (9 October 1955): 14 pars. 15 April 2006. . Lumet, Sidney. "A View from the Bridge." (1962): 2 pars. 13 April 2006. . Miller, Arthur. "A View from the Bridge." (200): 4-28. Online. Sparknotes. (17 April 2006). Orme, Steve. "A View from the Bridge." Jenny King for the Touring Consortium at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham. (200): 11 pars. 14 April 2006. . Sommer, Elyse. "A View from the Bridge." A Curtain Up Review. (15 December 1997): 15 pars. 13 April 2006. Read More