A View From The Bridge Essay

A View From The Bridge: Questions and Answers

Eddie has rather strict old-world notions of decorum. Find some evidence to support this. How does traditional cultural values come into conflict with modern values in the play? In the play, Miller explores both written and unwritten laws. Make 2 lists under these headings to see how many you can come up with. The conditions/difficulties faced by migrants are explored in this play. What are they? In what ways are physical, emotional/personal conflict explored in the play? How is the play resolved? Is this a satisfactory resolution?

Eddie is a larger-than-life figure; he is authoritative, willful, dogmatic and energetic. In relation to his wife, Beatrice, and with the out side world, he is serenely masterful. Eddie is a man with a rather thin surface of good humour; underneath, he is quarrelsome and authoritative. Although he loves Catherine he expects her to live according to his expectations. Eddie appears to be completely satisfied with the way his family is at the beginning of the play; it is the possibility of change that upsets him.

Eddie is prepared to believe, and say, anything that will keep the family together, to maintain the integrity of his family life and the relationship he has with Catherine.

In Act I, in the last few scenes, Eddie tries to assert an authoritative manner upon Marco and Rodolpho, aiming the threats mostly at Rodolpho. In one scene Eddie points out to them that Catherine is coming in later than usually that she should be home at a certain time, thereby setting rules for her and Rodolpho. There is also the homosexuality theme, which is play on by Eddie he tries to convince others that Rodolpho is gay so that Catherine will stay away from him, but in the end he betrays the cousins and everyone loses the respect they have for him.

In the play I believe Eddie is the symbol for the traditional cultural values, while Rodolpho is with the modern, young values. Eddie is a conservationist and he tries to keep the old moral laws, like in the part of the play when Eddie points out that a girl like Catherine should be in early at night and that Rodolpho should have asked permission to take her out in the first place. Eddies ways are of old traditions and ethics, this conflicts with the fact that he cant let go of his culture, or ways and embrace the new ways in which the society around him has grown. Rodolpho is a young man with idealistic ways and he has embraced the new values because of who he is and where he has moved.

Eddie and Rudolph face a hard time coming into the country, then the problem of finding accommodation, work, also the possible issue of harassment, because of who they are and where they come from. The immigrants also have to be aware of the authorities.

In A View from the Bridge the established relationship of Eddie, Beatrice and Catherine which are at a point of change at the beginning of the play, they are subject to the impact of change of mind and expectations, when Rodolpho, and Marco arrive.

The family experience hard times when they invite there cousin which are, illegal immigrants. There is a loss of bond between the original family, especially the bond between Catherine and Eddie. Eddie cant let Catherine go, either because he is over protective or because of incestuous reasons.

The physical act of violence is when Eddie has a mock fight with Rodolpho and accidentally hits him, also in the end of the play the tension between the two, Marco and Eddie finally dies down when they have a fight, which ends in Eddies death.

I conclude that in the final scene of the play Eddie continues to nurse his grievances. Eddie having failed to stop Catherines wedding now tries to stop Beatrice. Rodolpho tries to mend what has been done by a formal apology but infuriates Eddie even more. The end was a build up of the suspense that was amounted during the play and so was leading to the tragedy that happened. This play is resolved in a tragic way as Miller intended this to be like the Greek tragedies.

In the end Eddie pictures himself as a generous extrovert, and he is wiling to fight to the death to preserve his name for liberalism and honour, whose limitations have been exposed by his behaviour towards the family.