View from the Bridge Essay Example for Free

View from the Bridge Essay A view from the bridge: a kind of metaphorical title the obvious bridge is the Brooklyn Bridge in New York. Italian immigrants had been coming to New York for a long time and they tended to gather in communities as America is a very multi racial cosmopolitan area. Catherines aspirations are to cross the bridge to go out, to work, and to go out with her lover Rodolfo. 1) Home: poor and simple but they open it to show their generosity- opportunity to show their loyalty to the Sicilian family. But Eddie says it is his home so he is entitled to his respect provider, it represents food, clothing, the upbringing not just the physical home. Catherines view gratitude for home and she wants to get a job to then pay for furniture for the home e. g. rug. Simple home and cosy, small Beatrices world but is still shared by all people. It represents the hard work and poverty yet the generosity of the people. Workers flat, clean, the flat is Eddies space and his home he wants his respect. Generosity show by: B! Your cousins and yet she is not annoyed for having to look after people and have extra mouths to feed, simply embarrassed as the host: didnt even buy a new tablecloth. Catherine wants to repay Eddie and B for bringing her up. When she gets a job and has enough money she wants a rug and new plates etc she is proud of the home but wants to contribute now she has come of age excitement. Pg 11. The idea is that these people are poor it is a struggle to keep going and they offer shelter to Sicilian relatives and immigrants to get work and send money back to their family. Their willingness to share and Eddies duty to look after family means hard physical work. The home and the family itself have their tensions, jealousies and loyalties. Beatrice does not work her place is in the home. Eddie where, where am I going? This is my house page 61. Massive change before and after Marco and Rodolfo arrive- before; love, poverty but warmth and humour, cosy, struggle Eddie = provider the family with laughter and nurture, welcome and generosity in food, shelter and roof in spite of lack of wealth, loyalty- Catherine looked after and brought up here. After, in Act 2, the home changes to mean respect and his name I want my name back! Hatred, Bad relationships, coldness, tears, fighting the generosity now needs to be owed back this is how you repay me? now deserving something in return. 2) Street: Alfieri tells him that there is no law nothing that Eddie can do to stop Rodolfo and Catherine he must let her go. The only way is to betray them and give them up to the authority as illegal immigrants but the Italian community will take revenge like they did with the young boy whose head bounced like coconuts. Loyalty lies with family and to Sicilian immigrants. Eddie has to rid of Rodolfo to betray the family. Bowling, Louis. Brooklyn paramount where Catherine and Rodolfo see the film. 3) Place of work: Red Hook docks, waterfront, long shore men, piers, plumbers yard. Red Hook docks signify mans world sea breeze links to Sicily and Italy, the comradeship of the men e. g. you coming bowling tonight Eddie? they are good friends, hard physical work and mafia links illegal immigrants come on the ship called submarines they are brought in, own dockers slang, word is associated with the docks and the sea. The labour you feed and keep your family. Miller creates an impression of the docks as a place of manliness but gives an air of underlying Italian immigrants. We learn that they are called submarines. Smells of coffee and bananas and spiders when unloading rough district where Catherine wants to work Eddie is very protective as it is not a place for women. Plumbers yard around where Catherine wants to work, plenty can happen in a block away. Red Hook build huge ships, all about the docks and hard work grafting. Eddie gets embarrassed of Rodolfo he is not manly enough he sings on the docks! For immigrants the work is easy to get, until the mafia are paid off, then they have to scramble like everyone else. Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Arthur Miller section.