A View from the Bridge: Relation Ship Between Eddie & Catherine

Eddie and Catherine are two important characters form the play “A View From The Bridge” by Arthur Miller. The play takes place in Brooklyn around 1950’s. Catherine is an orphan who grew up with her aunt and her aunt’s husband. She sees them as her parents. Eddie who is her aunt’s husband is like a real father to Catherine. Eddie and Catherine’s relationship changes from father and daughter to woman and man throughout the play. This change affects everybody around them and causes problems which ends tragically. In the play there are several main stages that show us the changes in Eddie and Catherine’s relationship.

These stages are usually small incidents but each of them develops a new point to the relationship. The first point is on page 6 where Eddie starts commenting on Catherine’s skirt then goes on to criticize her walk and her actions. In that conversation Catherine says, “ “Eddie, I wish there was one guy you couldn’t tell me things about! ” This dialogue shows that Eddie has been overprotective before and Catherine has realized it. She does not say it seriously but rather, a joke; however she is actually trying to express that he’s being too overprotective.

The device of depicting Italian and Sicilian immigrants, enables Miller to make them more or less articulae in English. Only Alfiery is a properly articulate, educated speaker of American English: for this reason he can explain Eddie’s actions to us, but not Eddie, who does not really speak his language. Eddie, who does not really speak his language. Eddie uses a naturalistic Brooklyn slang. His speech is simple, but at the start of the play is more colourful, as he tells Catherine she is “walkin’ wavy” and as he calls her “Madonna”

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Catherine’s speech is more often in grammatically standard forms, but not always. Her meekness is shown in the frequency with which her speeches begin with “Yeah”, agreeing with, or qualifying, Eddie’s comments. Rodolpho speaks with unnatural exactness. The words are all English but the phrases are not always idiomatic. He recalls vivid details of his life in Sicily, and he is given to poetic comparisons as when, on page 46, he likens Catherine to “a little bird” that has not been allowed to fly.

Marco has to think before he can speak in whole phrases or sentences: this means he says little, which reinforces two ideas: that Marcois thoughtful, and that he is a man of action, rather than words. e Eddie Carbone is the tragic protagonist of “ The view from the bridge”. He is constantly self-interested, wanting to promote and protect his innocence. Eddie creates a fictional fantasy world where his absurd decisions make sense, where calling the Immigration Bureau in the middle of an Italian community that prides itself on protecting illegal immigrants has no repercussions.

In Eddie’s world, he imagines protecting Catherine from marriage or an male relationship and wants her for himself. While Eddie wavers and switches between communal and state laws and cultures, his motivations do not change. Eddie constantly looks out for himself at the expense of others and is ruled by personal love and guilt. There are several moments in the text where the audience is given clues that Eddie’s love for Catherine may not be normal. For example, when Catherine lights Eddie’s cigar in the living room, it is an event that gives Eddie unusual pleasure.

This possibly warm and affectionate act between niece and uncle has phallic suggestions. Depending on interpretation by the actors, this moment many have more or less sexual undertones. Eddie’s great attention to his attractive niece and impotence in his own marital relationship immediately makes this meaning clear. Although Eddie seems unable to understand his feelings for his niece until the end of the play, other characters are aware. Beatrice is the first to express this possibility in her conversation with Catherine.

Alfieri also realizes Eddie’s feelings during his first conversation with Eddie. Eddie does not comprehend his feelings until Beatrice clearly articulates his desires in the conclusion of the play,” You want somethin’ else, Eddie, and you can never have her! ” Eddie does not realize his feelings for Catherine because he has constructed an imagined world where he can suppress his urges. This suppression is what devastates Eddie. Because He has no outlet for his feelings, even in his own conscious mind, Eddie transfers his energy to hatred of Marco and Rodolpho nd causes him to act completely irrationally. Eddie’s final need to secure or retrieve his good name from Marco is a result of Eddie’s failure to protect Catherine from Marco. Eddie believes he will regain his pride in the community, another wholly self-interested act. Eddie escaped restraint because he escaped all thoughts of other people or the community at large. Eddie’s “wholeness” is a whole interest in himself. Eddie’s tragic flaw is the bubble, the constructed world he exists within, but is unable to escape or recognize.

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A View From The Bridge Eddie's Relationship Analysis

a view from the bridge eddie and catherine relationship essay

Show More The play ‘A View From The Bridge’ by Author Miller is set in 1950’s in America, They live in an Italian American neighborhood near the Brooklyn Bridge “the gullet of New York”. Eddie Carbone is the main character who has been shown as a very caring, loving and strong person, But on the other hand he is a short tempered and a frustated person too. He has different relationships with different characters, Catherine is his neice, Beatrice is Eddie’s wife and Marco is Beatrice’s cousines. He shares a very loving and caring relationship with Catherine, an unsatisfactory relationship with Beatrice and his relationship with Marco changes from good to bad. His relationship with Catherine is like father and daughter but in fact, Catherine is his neice. Eddie stays with Beatrice and Catherine. Eddie is very responsible towards Catherine, he is not letting her wear anything if its “too short”. Secondly, Eddie does is not letting catherine work because of “the bad neighbourhood” and because Eddie believes that going out …show more content… When Marco arrived , Eddie was very welcoming towards him. But as the play goes ahead their relationship starts getting worst because of Roldolfo and Catherine. Marco believes that both (Roldolfo and Catherine) are adults, they know whats good for them. But on the other hand, Eddie feels that Catherine is still a kid, Roldolfo is trapping Catherine in his love. Eddie has challenged Marco to “lift a chair” from the bottom of which Eddie succedded to lift it but Marco could not, he did this to make Marco aware of his strength and masculinity. By doing this Eddie had thought that they would leave, but they didn’t. Marco told Eddie that “in my country (eddie) would be dead now ” to prove his power and he used this words of revenge because he is tired of daily challenges with Eddie. Marco warns Eddie to stay away from Roldolfo and

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A view from the bridge essay

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English CW-Essay

Look at the opening scene between Eddie and Catherine (Pages 5 – 12) and the scene in which Catherine has just returned from the picture house. (Pages 26 – 31). How do these scenes foreshadow the breakdown in Eddie and Catherine’s Relationship?

A View from The Bridge is a play set in the 1940s in America. The themes of the play are love, honour, poverty, and mainly immigration. These are all factors that contribute to the breakdown between Eddie and Catherine’s relationship. In both the key scenes, there is growing conflict between the two main characters. These are Catherine and Eddie. There is the main characters wife’s cousins who migrate illegally from Italy, one of whom that falls in love with Eddies niece, Catherine. The breakdown of the relationship between Eddie and Catherine can be foreshadowed through the genre, dramatic irony, context, language, characterisation, themes and stage directions.

The genre of this play is tragedy. This means that the central character, the protagonist dies at the end. The protagonist who is Eddie is fine but his/her fate is imperfect because of a flaw in the character. This flaw in Eddie is quite simple. His flaw is that he cannot let go of his niece and he is very overprotective. The breakdown of the relationship can be foreshadowed through the genre being a tragedy because we know that at some point in the play, there will be problems arising due to Eddie being too attached to Catherine and her growing less and less fond of him. The one thing he cannot take is the fact that his power over Catherine goes, and that’s exactly what happens.

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Eddie is overprotective and this is an increasing problem. Catherine is a maturing girl and demands her right to independence.  Eddie is a dominant figure in their relationship and wants it to remain that way. At first, Catherine listens to Eddie and does what he wants, for example, Eddie Says “come over here”, and straight away she comes to sit next to him. Eddie commands her, and he commands her because he knows for certain that she will listen to him. This shows that whenever Eddie has commanded her in the past she has listened. This goes to show that she is loyal to him. A breakdown can be foreshadowed here easily because you know that when one day she matures, Eddie will still be attached to her and she will not listen to him. This is going to cause tension which will therefore lead to a breakdown of their relationship.

Eddie hinders Catherine’s independence which leads to a breakdown in their relationship. She finds work for herself but he refuses to let her work there. He wants her to finish school as he is concerned about her education. He starts asking her lots of questions which shows some sign of panic but mostly worry. “Why didn’t you?” This just goes to show how dominant he is over her and how attached he is to her. The breakdown can be foreshadowed here because when she grows up, Eddie will be confused about where and if to let her work, and Catherine will retaliate.

Eddie wants Catherine to achieve his version of the American dream which is education and this leads to a breakdown in their relationship. He wants her to complete her education as that is one of the primary reasons of him migrating from Italy to America. He knows how tough life is for the uneducated with the heavy labour and necessity for strength. Eddie knows that Catherine is a girl and doesn’t want her to go through a hard time and that is primarily why he wants her to get sufficient education. The American Dream is a very important part of the play. The breakdown of their relationship can be foreshadowed there because if she does not get an adequate education it will lead to lots of tensions.

Catherine’s language shows that she is trying to please Eddie and you can foreshadow a breakdown in their relationship. There is lots of evidence of this in the first key scene. For example, when Eddie and Catherine are discussing her getting a job Eddie starts feeling distressed because he thinks that she’s going to be independent one day and abandon him. Catherine then comes in to reassure that she would not leave him. She says “No, please” feeling uneasy about what he thinks of her. You can foreshadow a breakdown in their relationship here because Catherine will leave Eddie one day. Eddie just hates the thought of Catherine leaving him so how will he cope with the disappointment and stress when that day comes because eventually it will.

Eddie disapproves of Catherine and Rodolfo’s relationship. Eddie despises Rodolfo. Eddie thinks Rodolfo is not manly enough, fake and most of all, taking Eddie’s dominance. He thinks Rodolfo is a fake and wants to marry Catherine to get legal citizenship in America. A breakdown can be foreshadowed here because before Catherine would have been completely loyal to but this time she goes out without his permission, when he asks her she arrogantly says “Sure, the Brooklyn Paramount. I told you we wasn’t goin’ to New York.” The effects of this kind of language are Eddie being overpowered and dominated. He is being stepped on in this conversation and At this point Eddie is most concerned about the future because Catherine is turning independent and therefore forgetting the respect she owes to Eddie. This is one thing that Eddie is extremely terrified of in their relationship.

Beatrice encourages Catherine to be independent. Catherine is attached to Eddie and does not have enough respect and ego to stay away from him. She still walks around him in her slip. She has grown up now and she needs to realise that. Beatrice is annoyed of her and tells her to be independent. A breakdown can be foreshadowed here because Beatrice is telling Catherine not to be close to Eddie and when Eddie finds out he will be angry and will be afraid he is losing his power over her and will start to argue.

Alfieri’s words to the audience foreshadow a breakdown in their relationship. This is because things have got so worse in their family that Eddie had to go seek legal advice and Alfieri tells him that the only solution is calling the department of immigration on him. He says “Because there’s nothing illegal about a girl falling in love with an immigrant.” The reason why he uses the word “nothing” rather than “hardly anything” is because snitching on immigration about your fellow Italian is considered really bad. If someone does this they are stripped in their community of all their honour. This is how terrible the situation is! Since Eddie knows about his only option he has, we can foreshadow a breakdown in their relationship because he might just go and make the phone call to Immigration’s department that we all fear.

The main point that led to the breakdown in their relationship is the fact that Eddie was so overprotective. This was because he got in the way of everything Catherine done. At first, it was fine but then as she became more and more aware of her surroundings, he really started getting on her nerves. This had to happen one day or the other and it happened.

A view from the bridge essay

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A View from the Bridge: Relationships Essay Example

a view from the bridge eddie and catherine relationship essay

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A View From The Bridge: The Theme Of Loyalty And Betrayal

  • Category Literature
  • Subcategory Plays
  • Topic A View From The Bridge

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The 1940’s Red Hood an Italian of Italian immigrants who follow a common code of justice of silence .Eddie Carbone, a loving husband and uncle who gets swept by his feelings for his niece and betrays the loyalty of his whole community, family and friends with just a call, making this play a tragedy which could have the same meaning in any time and place.

A view from the bridge setting offers an opportunity to see how important loyalty can be in certain communities. Miller uses several references to Manhattan in the 1950s and the Italian community to set us in time and place.  At this specific time, the immigrant communities had their own point of view of and law, following a strict code of silence and protection for the illegal immigrants on the community. This is shown when Eddie , while talking about Catherine about the community tells her an anecdote about a  boy called Vinny Bolzano who betrayed his own family and was punished hard by the community “never be(ing) seen no more” after being hardly punished by his father and brother. This is a tool that Arthur Miller created to effectively foreshadow the future of Eddie as a tragic hero, and how he ended up betraying his whole community as Vinny Bolzano did.

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Eddie’s and Beatrice’s relationship create a structure to the play. The relationship between Beatrice and Eddie, even though is full of tension noticeable during most of the first and second act,  it can really show us how important Beatrice really is in the play and how her everlasting loyalty ended up giving redemption to Eddie as he notices her importance. Beatrice is the one who encourages Catherine to stop with her childish behavior’… be your own self more. You …think you’re a little girl… You gotta give him to understand that he can’t give you orders no more.’ Making her to think about her independence and more about herself. She is who encourages Catherine to go out more with Rodolpho “Are you gonna stand over her till she’s forty? Eddie, I want you to cut it out now” by defending her in front of Eddie and going against his protective personality. Beatrice is also who tells Eddie and Catherine about his feelings for her “Eddie… you can never have her!” This was totally involuntary in an attempt to make her husband forget about hurting Marco but the damage was finally made making Catherine finally understand. She tries constantly to keep her loyalty on Eddie but at the same time her necessity to keep the perfect family structure at all costs is what makes her feel to outburst, creating the most convenient beginning for the climax.

When you first read of A View from the bridge Beatrice doesn’t seem like a character that will get your attention, always out of the main bubble of action, a person whose husband doesn’t love or talk to, someone who is just desperate to keep the pieces of her family together even if she is unhappy acting desperate at times. Her immense love for Eddie makes her loyal until the end even though he betrayed her by not being faithful and feeling things for another woman she is still by his side and follows his command when he forbids her on going to Catharine’s wedding “I can’t”. She also keeps defending Eddie when Catherine starts standing for herself “Stop it!” and even putting herself in the same box as Eddie “We all belong in the garbage”. As strong as Eddie’s beliefs are that he can go against everything to stay loyal to himself, Beatrice’s are stronger in a way as she went against her beliefs, Catherine, her family and the community (as she keeps being loyal to a traitor).

In this play, there is a very important character who is easy to spot as they act not only as a vital character but also as a Greek chorus -a character in Greek tragedies who watches the action, comments on it talking like this directly to the audience-. Alfieri is a born-Italian who has been living on the United States since decades, he works as a lawyer on Red Hook something rather unusual as the majority of the people on the neighborhood are illegal immigrants, with this we can clearly see how his morals and his ideas do not follow a strict pattern of black and white. He is on the side of the law when Eddie goes to him begging for a law to stop the wedding by simply stating “[He has] no recourse in the law”, here even though he is entire with the law he doesn’t talk about the possibility of deporting Rodolpho, Marco or any illegal immigrants as he had been in that position before; this shows us how he stays loyal to the community regardless of the American law. After Rodolpho and Marco are imprisoned because of Eddie he goes and show the readers(or viewers) for the first time how he, against the law, leaves the events to occur by themselves concluding on the death of Rodolpho because of Marco’s self-defense;he, after all, knew Marco’s personality and how his family and his pride were before any American law as he probably, as an immigrant have felt that before, and even if he knew Marco’s future actions he let them out fold. The last moment where part of his loyalty is shown on his last dialogue of the play, finally closing it where he admits “[he] mourns [Eddie] – I admit it – with a certain…alarm’ His lawful and logical mind is kind of distressed by those thoughts but at the same time he (strangely even for himself) admires Eddie’s refusal to ‘settle for half’. Alfieri through this play is as troubled as most of the characters even if he seems intelligent and relaxed, he slips and shows how troubled he id between his routes, the law, and his perspective gives of right and wrong . I think at the end he ends up being loyal to his different views of life as an illegal immigrant and lawyer.

Eddie’s character and loyalty is a very interesting theme to explore. At the beginning we can notice how strong his bond is with his family, especially his niece whom he had adopted as her parents died, he is also really close to the Italian community which he is part of with some of his friends and his lawyer which he talks about his problems to. Like this, we can talk about Eddie’s loyalty and betrayal by separating everyone he is related in two groups his family and his community(which was talked about before). If we start by his Family we need to talk about how his relationship changed for us as readers from the beginning to the middle and end to the play. At first we can see how of a normal and fraternal relationship he has with his adoptive daughter Catherine, but after some more pages and while reaching the climax of the story we can understand his real feelings for her ;at the beginning his loyalty for her was doubtless ,this ,until he started talking about her and making decisions without her opinion being asked as if she was a mere toy achieving a level of possessiveness where he even lies about Rodolpho’s real reason for wanting to marry her saying  things like “he’s only bowin’ to his passport”; for Catherine Eddie has undoubtedly been loyal and respect full to her but that rapidly changed to a strong possessiveness who was hidden from himself as a form of love . Another key person and Eddie’s last known family member is his wife, her loyalty for him was visibly but he stopped being loyal to her outside and inside marriage by having feelings for another woman and by not trusting her enough to tell her his worries; he at the beginning had very minimal loyalty for her which started to fade away as the climax started and which appeared suddenly at the end of the play when he only thinks about her on his death “My B!”.

For me this play Is a good representation of how betrayal can only be achieved when one of the two parties believe there is any kind of loyalty between them, and the higher the expectations of the loyalty the most painful the betrayal gets , as happened with Beatrice. Here it can also be appreciated how being loyal to oneself is as important as being loyal to someone else. Opening the question: What is more important being loyal to someone you love or to yourself? This play opens a lot of questions about Eddie’s position as an antagonist or a tragic hero , something that would have been unachievable if his loyalty and other characters’ loyalty didn’t shift.

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Tragedy in A View from the Bridge

Argues that plays are structured so that the resolution of conflict appears as a “natural” or inevitable consequence of the moral and ethical concerns raised in the play.

In A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller, the downfall of Eddie Carbone is the inevitable consequence of the moral and ethical concerns raised in the play. The structure of the play makes Eddie?s tragic downfall obvious, with the use of structural tragic elements and foreshadows showing to the audience that Eddies downfall is certain. Eddie?s opposition with insurmountable obstacles such as trying to overcome the dichotomy between law and justice and his attempts to impose ?old world? values in a modern and progressive American culture are doomed to failure. His inability to compromise and his refusal to admit his mistakes brings about his defeat at the end of the play, the resolution of conflict appearing as the ?natural? consequence to the audience. The conflict between European ?old world? values with modern American values is an obstacle that Eddie cannot overcome, largely as a result of his inability to compromise. The old world values that Eddie strives to enforce in his life primarily manifest themselves in his over-protectiveness of Catherine. His feelings for her spark his crusade to enforce his traditional Italian values in a culture that embraces freedom, materialism and independence rather than the old values regarding courtship and ?proper? behavior. Eddie cannot enforce these values, and the futility in trying to do so is seen clearly in the conflicts that Eddie has with both Catherine and Rodolpho. He admonishes Catherine for ?walkin? wavy? telling her she is the ?Madonna type?: trying to impose traditional values of chastity and modesty in a modern culture where short skirts and high heels are ?the style now? and flaunting femininity and sexuality is not frowned upon. His conflict with Rodolpho also shows Eddie?s disapproval of modern values, criticising Rodolpho for his carefree attitude to life, spending his pay on ?a snappy new jacket? records, a pointy pair new shoes?. Eddie?s determination to impose his traditional values on youths immersed in American culture and modern values is doomed to failure as his attitudes are shown to be backward and inappropriate and will never be accepted. Eddie?s refusal to compromise and inability to see truth in any opinion but his own leads to a conflict that can only be resolved by his downfall. Eddie?s inappropriate feelings for Catharine are a further obstacle to compromise and facilitate his determination to quash the love between Rodolpho and Catherine, as Eddie is fuelled by feelings of jealousy. His wife Beatrice realises this and says ?You want somethin? else, Eddie, and you can never have her!? Eddies determination is fixated on an impossible and unrealistic goal: to keep Catherine in the role that he has envisioned for her, determined to keep her purity and innocence in his role for her as a ?Madonna?, never counting on the fact that she ?would ever grow up?. Eddie clearly has inappropriate feelings for Catherine as he is reluctant to let her gain her independence by taking a job, and criticises her for flaunting her sexuality by wearing high heels and short skirts. Eddie ?enveloping? Catherine with his eyes is an inappropriate gesture suggesting that his interest in her is more than paternal. Such feelings are also evident with Eddie?s jealousy of the love between Rodolpho and Catherine. He regards Rodolpho with ?concealed suspicion?, taking an immediate dislike to him as Catherine makes it clear that she likes him, exclaiming that he is ?practically blond? and attracted to his good looks and light-heated manner. Beatrice realises Eddie?s jealousy of Rodolpho straight away, saying ?you?re just jealous? as Eddie starts his criticisms of Rodolpho, saying he gives him the ?heebie-jeebies? and ?he?s like a chorus girl or something?. In Eddie?s determination to keep Catherine and Rodolpho apart, he constantly criticises Rodolpho. Eddie is keen to find any excuse to try and tear Rodolpho and Catherine apart, accusing Rodolpho of being ?a weird? and then claiming that he is ?lookin? for his break?, using Catherine to get his American citizenship. Ironically, Eddie?s efforts to keep the couple apart only bring them closer together and serve to ostracize himself from Catherine. His criticisms bring him further away from the conclusion that he hopes for. As Eddie refuses to compromise in a situation where his desired outcome is not possible, it is inevitable that a resolution of conflict will only be brought about by the death of Eddie. A View from the Bridge displays tragic elements that add to the tone of inevitability evident throughout the play. Eddie is a modern tragic hero: an ordinary individual whose wish for Catherine not to marry Rodolpho is so intense that he is willing to give up everything else in the pursuit of his convictions. He is ?not purely good, but himself purely? as his beliefs are not perfect, but he is determined to stick by them. Eddie shows the characteristics of the tragic hero as he is of high moral worth but is unmistakably human: he is vulnerable as his pride leads to an error of judgement in regards to Rodolpho. His jealousy of Rodolpho leads him to deceive himself in thinking that Rodolpho ?is not right? and that he is intent on exploiting Catherine?s love for him to gain his American citizenship. Eddie remains the hero of the play rather than being perceived by the audience as a villain as his moral nobility and the dogged determination to pursue his convictions is admirable and he moves the audience to pity as his misfortune is greater than deserved. His refusal to compromise is a heroic quality, but is this flaw which leads to his downfall as he will not ?swallow his pride? and ?settle for half?. The use of Alfieri as the chorus is another tragic element used in the play. Alfieri responds to the action and sets the mood for A View from the Bridge. Being a lawyer, Alfieri is able to give the audience interpretations of the action that cannot be formulated by Eddie?s uneducated group and is able to articulate and explore the ironies and ambiguities of the situation. In this position, Alfieri plays a large part in setting the tone of inevitability through the use of foreshadows. Alfieri introduces himself as a lawyer ?thought of in connexion with disasters? and the play is introduced with Alfieri watching the action ?run its bloody course?, and in doing so makes it immediately clear that the resolution of conflict will only be brought about by an act of violence. Alfieri knows that Eddie?s misconceptions will lead him to tragedy and can do nothing despite the fact he has all the evidence before him. Alfieri?s feeling of powerlessness as he ?lost his strength somewhere? and ?could see every step coming,? adds to the tone of inevitability as the resolution of conflict is predetermined, and nothing can stop the events from running their course. The use of foreshadow is a powerful structural element of A View from the Bridge, making the downfall of Eddie seem to be an inevitable consequence to the conflicts that his actions precipitate. While Alfieri?s comments to the audience use foreshadow to indicate the certainty of Eddie?s downfall to the audience, action in the play also indicates future events. Eddie?s destruction at the hands of Marco is made certain in the chair lifting scene where Marco raises the chair ?like a weapon? over Eddie, warning Eddie against threatening Rodolpho with a show of strength. This establishes Marco as a threat to Eddie as such a show of strength represents masculinity, proving that Marco is more of a ?man? than Eddie and has the power to defeat him. Eddie?s determination to sacrifice everything in his efforts to tear Rodolpho and Catherine apart alienates Eddie from those around him. Eddie stops at nothing in the pursuit of his convictions and in doing so distances himself from those he most loves. His close relationship with Catherine is destroyed by Eddie?s endless criticisms of Rodolpho. Eddie?s efforts to discredit Rodolpho isolate him from Catherine and also force Catherine to become independent from Eddie and make her own decisions, saying ?I think I can?t stay here no more? I?m not gonna be a baby any more!? Eddie?s continued resistance against Catherine?s marriage turns him away from her completely as Catherine comes to think of Eddie as a ?rat? who ?comes when nobody?s lookin? and poisons decent people?. Eddie?s relationship with his wife also becomes tenuous, as Beatrice is anxious for Catherine to gain her independence while Eddie is striving for her to remain a ?baby? under his influence. This creates a lot of tension between them, aggravated by the fact that Eddie expects Beatrice to ?believe? him, saying ?If I tell you that guy ain?t right don?t tell me he is right?. Beatrice?s resistance to Eddie?s claims about Rodolpho leads Eddie to think he has lost his ?respect?. Eddie deludes himself into thinking that Rodolpho ?ain?t right? to justify his efforts to discredit him in front of Catherine and does not care about the effect this has on his marriage. Ironically, it is only at the end when Eddie comes to the realisation that it is Beatrice and not Catherine who is most important in his life. Eddie proves that he will stop at nothing to try and keep Rodolpho and Catherine apart when he ?snitches? on Marco and Rodolpho to Immigration. Eddie secures his own downfall when he rings Immigration as the backlash from the community for such an act is bound to end in the act of violence that is suggested by Alfieri in the beginning of the play as the events will run their ?bloody course?. Early in the play, Eddie describes the fate of Vinny Bolzano who ?snitched to Immigration? on his uncle and was ousted by the community, ostracized for the rest of his life and regarded with scorn and contempt. A similar fate is inevitable for Eddie, who is prepared to give up his status in the community to make Rodolpho go back to Italy, as he sees that as the only option available to him. By ringing Immigration, Eddie?s downfall is secured as Marco is set against Eddie, spitting into Eddie?s face and calling him an ?animal? and the killer of his children. However, it is Eddie?s refusal to admit his mistakes and to admit that he disgraced his name by ringing Immigration that brings about the final confrontation between Eddie and Marco. Marco wants retribution against Eddie for forcing him to go back to Italy, ruining his families chances of ever escaping poverty. Again, Eddie is seeking the impossible: to ?get his name? and dignity from an apology from Marco, when it was Eddie who relinquished his own dignity in the pursuit of his unfortunate convictions. While it is Marco that kills Eddie, it is the knife that Eddie drew that is the instrument for his death, signifying self-destruction. It is this self-destruction that is evident throughout the play as Eddie?s downfall is brought about through his own failings and mistakes, rather than the mistakes of others having an impact on him. In A View from the Bridge it is made evident that American law is not consistent with justice as Eddie?s destruction is aided by the American system of law, his downfall signifying an inadequacy in the legal system. Alfieri is only too aware or the inadequacy of the law, saying, ?Only God makes justice?. The dichotomy existing between law and justice is highlighted by Eddie?s actions of calling Immigration, the only legal solution open to him to get rid of Rodolpho. However, it is this legal solution that conflicts with the moral codes that Eddie abides by. Eddie is able to use the law to try and put an end to a situation, which he only sees as being unjust as ?morally and legally? he has no rights in regards to his efforts to separate Catherine and Rodolpho. In abandoning his moral code to ring Immigration, Eddie brings about his own destruction by Marco, who lives by a traditional moral code and is adamant to bring about justice, whatever the cost. Like Eddie, Marco does not know the meaning of compromise, as he feels obligated to kill Eddie for what he has done. The law proves to be totally incapable of handling a situation where the pursuit for justice is more important than upholding the law, and breaking the law to obtain justice seems insignificant. It is in this situation where the death of Eddie by Marco is made inevitable, as Marco is intent on upholding justice rather than law. The resolution of conflict brought about by the downfall of Eddie Carbone in A View from the Bridge is seen to be the inevitable consequence of the moral and ethical issues raised in the play. Old world values are shown to be inappropriate in American society, and Eddie?s attempts to enforce his old fashioned morals is doomed to failure, leading to an unfortunate conclusion as Eddie lacks the ability to compromise. Eddie?s inappropriate feelings towards Catharine act as a further barrier to compromise, facilitating his determination to try and tear Catharine and Rodolpho apart. Tragic elements also add to the tone of inevitability with the use of foreshadows the use of Alfieri as the chorus and Eddie as the tragic hero, with his vulnerability and misconceptions leading him to self-destruction. His dogged attempts to humiliate Rodolpho before Catherine alienate Eddie from those he most loves, and in ?snitching? to Immigration Eddie ostracizes himself from the whole community. Eddie cannot overcome the insurmountable obstacles that stand in the path for him to enforce his views on those around him, and the impossibility of realising his convictions lead to Eddie?s death, as the resolution of conflict in such a situation can only result from Eddie?s downfall.

a view from the bridge eddie and catherine relationship essay

A View from the Bridge

Arthur miller, everything you need for every book you read., beatrice quotes in a view from the bridge.

Immigration, Home, and Belonging Theme Icon

Look, you gotta get used to it, she’s no baby no more.

Maturity and Independence Theme Icon

Eddie: There was a family lived next door to her mother, he was about sixteen— Beatrice: No, he was no more than fourteen, cause I was to his confirmation in Saint Agnes. but the family had an uncle that they were hidin’ in the house, and he snitched to the Immigration. Catherine: The kid snitched? Eddie: On his own uncle! Catherine: What, was he crazy? Eddie: He was crazy after, I tell you that, boy. Beatrice: Oh, it was terrible. He had five brothers and the old father. And they grabbed him in the kitchen and pulled him down the stairs—three flights his head was bouncin’ like a coconut. And they spit on him in the street, his own father and his brothers. The whole neighborhood was cryin’.

Immigration, Home, and Belonging Theme Icon

Beatrice: The girl is gonna be eighteen years old, it’s time already. Eddie: B., he’s taking her for a ride! Beatrice: All right, that’s her ride. What’re you gonna stand over her till she’s forty?

It means you gotta be your own self more. You still think you’re a little girl, honey. but nobody else can make up your mind for you any more, you understand? You gotta give him to understand that he can’t give you orders no more.

Eddie: Didn’t you hear what I told you? You walk out that door to that wedding you ain’t comin’ back here, Beatrice. Beatrice: Why! What do you want? Eddie: I want my respect. Didn’t you ever hear of that? From my wife?

Catherine: How can you listen to him? This rat! Beatrice: Don’t you call him that! Catherine: What’re you scared of? He’s a rat! He belongs in the sewer!

A View from the Bridge PDF

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  1. A View From The Bridge Essays

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  2. A View from the Bridge: Eddie and Catherine's Relationship

    a view from the bridge eddie and catherine relationship essay

  3. A View from the Bridge: Eddie and Catherine's Relationship

    a view from the bridge eddie and catherine relationship essay

  4. Evolution of Bonds: Complex Dynamics in 'A View from the Bridge' Free

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  5. "A View From the Bridge" by Arthur Miller Free Essay Example

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  6. 4. Luke Norris (Rodolpho), Emun Elliott (Marco), Phoebe Fox (Catherine

    a view from the bridge eddie and catherine relationship essay

VIDEO

  1. Eddie Carbone Character Quotes & Word-Level Analysis!

  2. A View from the Bridge 4 Eddie & the historical context

  3. A View from the Bridge 7 Eddie's betrayal

  4. NNT Presents A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller

  5. A View from the Bridge Catherine

  6. A View From the Bridge Part 1

COMMENTS

  1. Key themes The relationship between Eddie and Catherine A View from the

    The relationship between Eddie and Catherine. At the beginning of the play we are immediately aware that there is a lively, intimate relationship between Catherine and Eddie. There are no barriers. Eddie is delighted at her beauty, but because of this beauty he fears what other men will see. Catherine is unhappy when Eddie objects to her going ...

  2. A View from the Bridge

    A View from the Bridge! The relationship between Eddie and Catherine is very tight. Although Eddie is not Catherine's father, he is a very strong father figure to her and the man of the house. Eddie is very protective of Catherine in both positive and negative ways. "I took out of my own mouth to give to her; I took out of my own mouth."

  3. A View from the Bridge: Relation Ship Between Eddie & Catherine

    Essay on A View from the Bridge: Relation Ship Between Eddie & Catherine Eddie and Catherine are two important characters form the play "A View From The Bridge" by Arthur Miller. The play takes place in Brooklyn around 1950's. ... Eddie and Catherine's relationship changes from father and daughter to woman and man throughout the play ...

  4. A View from the Bridge: Relation Ship Between Eddie & Catherine

    The play takes place in Brooklyn around 1950's. Catherine is an orphan who grew up with her aunt and her aunt's husband. She sees them as her parents. Eddie who is her aunt's husband is like a real father to Catherine. Eddie and Catherine's relationship changes from father and daughter to woman and man throughout the play.

  5. The View from a Bridge. How does Eddies and Catherines relationship

    The relationship starts off like any father-daughter relationship, even though Catherine isn't actually Eddie's daughter. Eddie is protective towards Catherine like any father and Catherine thrives on Eddie's approval like any daughter; this can be seen in the first scene when Catherine wears a new skirt she bought for her new job.

  6. A View from the Bridge Act 1 Summary & Analysis

    Analysis. The play is set in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Red Hook in the 1950s, near the small apartment of a man named Eddie. A middle-aged lawyer named Alfieri comes on stage and addresses the audience directly. He says that the people of this neighborhood distrust lawyers, just as their Sicilian ancestors always have.

  7. A View from the Bridge Act 1 Summary & Analysis

    A View from the Bridge is a play largely concerned with discovery. As 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. The gradual exposition of these secrets destroys Eddie, as ...

  8. A View from the Bridge: Eddie and Catherine's Relationship

    GCSE English. A View from the Bridge: Eddie and Catherine's Relationship. In the play, "A view from the Bridge", the character Eddie lives with his niece, Catherine, who he is like a father to and his wife, Beatrice. They are Italian-Americans and during the play Beatrice's two cousins are smuggled into America and stay in Eddie's house.

  9. Eddie Carbone Character Analysis in A View from the Bridge

    Eddie Carbone Character Analysis. The tragic protagonist of the play, Eddie is a hard-working man who supports his wife Beatrice and his niece Catherine, whom he has raised like a daughter. He begins the play as a well-liked member of his neighborhood community, and has a strong sense of honor. His fatherly feelings for Catherine are gradually ...

  10. Eddie Carbone Character Analysis in A View from the Bridge

    Eddie Carbone. Eddie Carbone is the tragic protagonist of A View from the Bridge. He is constantly self-interested, wanting to promote and protect his innocence. Eddie creates a fictional fantasy world where his absurd decisions make sense—where calling the Immigration Bureau in the middle of an Italian community that prides itself on ...

  11. Love and Desire Theme in A View from the Bridge

    Love and Desire. LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A View from the Bridge, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Love—of one kind or another—is the main motivator of Miller's characters in this play, and drives the major events of its plot. Catherine's love for Rodolpho and Eddie's intense love ...

  12. How does Catherine's character develop in A View from the Bridge

    Catherine matures considerably throughout the course of the play. When we're first introduced to her, she is more of an older child than a young adult. This is largely because of Eddie, her ...

  13. A View From The Bridge Eddie's Relationship Analysis

    The play 'A View From The Bridge' by Author Miller is set in 1950's in America, They live in an Italian American neighborhood near the Brooklyn Bridge "the gullet of New York". Eddie Carbone is the main character who has been shown as a very caring, loving and strong person, But on the other hand he is a short tempered and a frustated ...

  14. A View from the Bridge: Important Quotes Explained

    Just remember, kid, you can quicker get back a million dollars that was stole than a word that you gave away. Eddie speaks this quote in Act I, while eating dinner with Beatrice and Catherine. This quote reveals the irony and madness of Eddie's character. In the beginning of the play, Eddie tells the story of a young boy who called immigration ...

  15. Nat 5 English

    Cinema Date 2. "Katie, he's only bowin' to his passport". Cinema Date 3. "next time you see him will be for divorce!" Cinema Date 4. [He looks at her like a lost boy] Conversation with Alfieri 1. "he ain't right". Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Eddie/Catherine Relationship Scenes, Masculinity Theme Scenes ...

  16. A view from the bridge essay

    A View from The Bridge is a play set in the 1940s in America. The themes of the play are love, honour, poverty, and mainly immigration. These are all factors that contribute to the breakdown between Eddie and Catherine's relationship. In both the key scenes, there is growing conflict between the two main characters. These are Catherine and Eddie.

  17. A View from the Bridge: Relationships Essay Example

    A View from the Bridge. At the beginning of the play, before Marco and Rodolpho have arrived Miller does not make it obvious to the audience that Eddie is in a power struggle with his conscience. Through the use of characterisation Miller paints Eddie as a honourable, decent family man. The audience are made aware of Alfieri's opinion of ...

  18. A View from the Bridge Character Analysis

    Eddie Carbone. The tragic protagonist of the play, Eddie is a hard-working man who supports his wife Beatrice and his niece Catherine, whom he has raised like a daughter. He begins the play as a well-liked… read analysis of Eddie Carbone.

  19. A View From The Bridge: The Theme Of Loyalty And Betrayal

    A view from the bridge setting offers an opportunity to see how important loyalty can be in certain communities. Miller uses several references to Manhattan in the 1950s and the Italian community to set us in time and place. At this specific time, the immigrant communities had their own point of view of and law, following a strict code of ...

  20. Tragedy in A View from the Bridge

    In A View from the Bridge by Arthur Miller, the downfall of Eddie Carbone is the inevitable consequence of the moral and ethical concerns raised in the play. The structure of the play makes Eddie?s tragic downfall obvious, with the use of structural tragic elements and foreshadows showing to the audience that Eddies downfall is certain.

  21. Beatrice Character Analysis in A View from the Bridge

    Beatrice Character Analysis. Next. Catherine. Eddie's wife, who is suspicious about Eddie's feelings for Catherine and who tries to encourage Catherine to become more independent. Eddie feels that Beatrice doesn't respect him because of how much she disagrees with him. But later in the play, Beatrice actually defends Eddie when Catherine ...