A View From The Bridge by Arthur Miller Essay example -- View From Bri

A View From The Bridge by Arthur Miller Alfieri is a lawyer who works for the Sicilian community in Brooklyn. He opens the play with a very exposing account of what life used to be like and is like in that particular community. The audience knows from that speech everything about Alfieri and about the community in Red Hook. He launches into graphic detail about past bandits and murders and about how justice is very important to the Italians. The community is the 'gullet of New York, ´ which is 'swallowing the tonnage of the world. ´ This sentence is quite ironic since Red Hook is a fishing town and tonnage is another word for cargo. Alfieri speaks as though Red Hook has swallowed up all the complications of the world and is now reduced to a slum. This creates a vivid mental picture and therefore invents the ideal environment for tragic goings on. Alfieri also utters an intriguing statement, 'now we settle for half. ´ This proclamation gives the impression that in this Italian community pride and justice is fierce and that no one will settle for half of what they believe is right. Alfieri makes this statement in the past tense leaving the question did the events that Alfieri witness determine whether people settle for half. He also wonders if there is another unfortunate lawyer sitting back, unable to do anything as the events, 'run their bloody course. ´ The indirect reference to blood creates another question about whether blood will be shed, considering the Italian community has a reputation to fight to the death. Alfieri is essential to the structure of the play as he opens and closes the play. I believe that he is Arthur Miller's mouthpiece and he moves the action that Miller has once witnessed. Edd... ... not. If Eddie had managed to get Catherine, it would have been unnatural and ridiculous. Beatrice notices the relationship but her unwillingness to speak out makes her part of the problem. The reason why Eddie betrayed his wife ´s cousins is that he loved Catherine so much. However, even Eddie Carbone could not stand in the way of fate. Rodolpho and Catherine were meant to be together and no amount of vigorous and passionate arguing could stop fate from running its natural course. The doom in this play starts at the very beginning with Eddie ´s outward and awkward feeling for Catherine, when he claims her as his own. The prospect of dooms mounts as the play goes on, but the main factor is that the play is about incestuous love, jealousy and betrayal. When these are combined with an underprivileged, passionate Italian way of life, the results are harsh.