critical analysis of a view from the bridge under the theme of "relationships"
- 1. Critical analysis of “A view from the bridge” by Arthur Miller under the theme of ‘relationships’ By: Husain Necklace Al Jamea Saifiyah – Arabic academy
- 2. Introduction: Arthur Miller has embedded within his play, ‘a view from the bridge’, several themes and symbols for the audiences to discern in order to understand the message he is trying to convey through his characters, dialogues and the initial story. Some of those themes include: ‘Family’, ‘choices’, etc. The intention and focal point of this essay is to elucidate upon the theme of ‘relationships’ by fixating upon the character of ‘Eddie Carbone’ and enumerating the relationship between him and the other main characters of the play, while towards the end, concluding how he himself became the catalyst for the ruin of himself and for the rupture of the relationships between him and the other characters. In order to do this, the essay has been divided into three parts which discuss three relationships: 1. Eddie Carbone and Catherine 2. Eddie Carbone and Beatrice 3. Eddie Carbone and Marco and Rodolpho The essay would also like to state that it will try and analyze but a few aspects of these relationships while understanding that there may be numerous more still.
- 3. Eddie Carbone and Catherine: The very first act begins by delineating the relationship between Eddie and Catherine. In the beginning of the act, the audiences notice how close the two characters are with each other which is evident through Catherine’s act of lighting Eddie’s cigarette, the way she walks around him in her slip and how she sits on the bathtub while he shaves. In that same act, the audiences also notice how Eddie projects his feelings of overprotectiveness for his niece – Catherine – when he comments about her walking ‘wavy’ and states: “I don’t like the looks they’re givin’ you in the candy store” while also objecting about her leaving school and working a job. The audiences also observe Catherine’s desperate feelings for Eddie’s approval; an example of which is when she states, referring to her skirt: “I just got it, you like it?” (after running her hands over her skirt). Similarly, when he asks her about her hair and she again replies: “You like it?” An element of such is again displayed towards the end when Catherine confesses to Beatrice that she does not feel it right to marry Rodolpho if Eddie ‘doesn’t feel good about it’. However, this been said, as the play progresses the audiences notice how the relationship between these two characters become more complicated and tense due to Eddie’s self inflictory acts. The most evident proof of this would be Catherine’s statement – “that rat!” – directed towards Eddie. One could suggest that this is due to Eddie’s own executions. As stated above, Eddie’s feelings of overprotectiveness about Catherine – probably induced due to his love for her – was such that it slowly began to anger her. For example, when Eddie tried to stop her from taking the job, when he criticizes her for ‘waving to Louis’ out of jealousy, to which Catherine states: “I wish there was one guy you couldn’t tell me things about”, when he tried stopping her from getting close to Rodolpho because he thought that he was only ‘bowing down to his passport’, how he thinks of her as a child and does not allow her to make her own decisions – “you’re a baby you don’t understand these things”, when he kisses her while drunk, and finally towards the end when his feelings of overprotectiveness fences him from accepting to attend her wedding, all of her anger, as a result, caused her to call Eddie “that rat!” which portrays to the
- 4. audiences how Eddie himself, due to his actions, caused the rift between him and his niece.
- 5. Eddie Carbone and Beatrice Carbone: The relationship between Eddie and Beatrice Carbone is, throughout the play, a bit complicated. The audiences can fully contemplate that in the very first act when Beatrice feels uneasy and awkward when Catherine hugs Eddie and light’s his cigar for him – “Who’s mad? (She gets up, clearing the dishes) I’m not mad…” This also portrays to the audiences that Beatrice was jealous of the relationship between Eddie and Catherine. That is exponentially obvious through her statement: “When am I going to be a wife again?” The audiences also notice that Beatrice tries to convey her feelings of awkwardness to Catherine when she asks her for some advice regarding the situation between her and Eddie and when Beatrice clearly states that ‘she needs to grow up’ and ‘stop acting like a child’ around Eddie. However, the audiences are also fully aware of the fact that Beatrice, no matter what happens, always remains loyal to Eddie. This is evident when towards the end she decides to stay with him instead of going to Catherine’s wedding and when she scolds Catherine for calling him “that rat!” and takes his side enumerating all the hardships he has endured for them. Yet, this been said, the audiences also witness that Eddie’s feelings for his wife are not as strong as his feelings for his niece; which is again evident through his act of kissing Catherine, his jealousy and overprotectiveness towards her and his negligence and lack of attention towards his wife which the audiences notice throughout the play and which Beatrice makes evident towards the end by stating: “I know what you want, and you will never get her!”. Through this, the audiences are able to contemplate how Eddie loses a loyal and loving wife due to his feelings for his niece and his overprotectiveness for her.
- 6. Eddie Carbone and Marco and Rodolpho: The relationship between these three characters is perhaps the most interesting in the entire play. That is so because the arrival of the two immigrants is what became the catalyst of Eddie Carbone’s ruin. However, as stated above, Eddie was similarly responsible for his own ruin due to his actions driven by his overposessiveness and jealousy. It is quickly apparent that Rodolpho and Catherine fall for each other the minute they lay their eyes on one another. Eddie notices how they share glances and immediately feel possessive and worried for the wellbeing of his niece. Later on, the audiences watch Eddie desperately trying to convince Catherine that Rodolpho is only using her for his ‘passport’ and that he’s homosexual. He does that so by alluding towards his habit of singing, not being able to fight and kissing him after Catherine while drunk. When these desperate attempts fail him, he decides to inform the immigration bureau about two immigrants living illegally in his house. This single act rips him off his dignity, induces hate for him within Catherine and makes Marco furious. Towards the end, the audiences see how all these misjudged acts comprised together formulate into Eddie Carbone’s own sorrowful death.
- 7. Conclusion: Therefore, in conclusion, as enumerated above, in these ways and due to these self inflictory acts, Eddie Carbone devices the rupture between his relationship with the other main characters and shapes the path towards his own ruin and death.