Love in 'A View from the Bridge'
A View from the Bridge is a play about immigrants in Red Hook, Brooklyn's docks, set in the 1950s. Throughout the play, Miller shows love in a number of ways, some romantic, others prohibited. Love is a recurring theme in the book, appearing in practically every scene. This is communicated through structure, terminology, and stage directions.
The relationship between Eddie and Catherine is the central theme of the novel. Catherine has been raised by Eddie and his wife Beatrice since she was a small child. Eddie has always treated Catherine as if she were his own daughter, but it becomes clear to the characters and the audience throughout the play that Eddie has formed a love for her, but he refuses to accept it to himself. Eddie's affections become deeper, and his possessiveness begins to impair Catherine's life. 'I worked like a dog for twenty years so a punk could have her,' she says. Eddie says this to Alfieri when he tells him he doesn't want her to marry Rodolpho (one of the immigrants) This is when Eddie's friends and family realize he has formed sentiments. ‘I don’t like the looks they're givin' you' starts to alarm the reader about how obsessive and possessive Eddie is starting to get.
Miller begins to include Beatrice (Eddie's wife) in the situation, which makes it seem more real to the reader and surprises us when we learn of Eddie's obsession with Catherine. ' What are you going to do about her until she's forty? Do you hear me, Eddie? I want you to cut it out right now. It irritates me!' This demonstrates that Beatrice is upset and, as she states, wants Eddie to pay attention to her again. The reader empathizes with Beatrice when she says, 'When am I going to be a wife again Eddie,' because she has lost her own husband to someone she considers her daughter. ‘Are you going to abandon her?’ Or you're going to drive me nuts?' Miller asks, attempting to illustrate how mad Eddie is becoming.
During one of the moments in the play, Eddie returns home intoxicated and kisses Catherine's lover Rodolpho. The kiss between the two guys was extremely shocking at the time, and it demonstrated a lot because homosexuality was still illegal in the 1950s. This could have been done by Miller to allow Eddie to substantiate his claim that Rodolpho is gay. Eddie states in Line 28: 'I just hope that's his natural hair,' he says, implying that he hopes he doesn't color it since it would be too feminine. Eddie also remarks, 'He's like a weirdo,' implying that he is prejudiced toward Rodolpho. Miller is demonstrating to the reader two things, love, and hate. He is showing us the love Eddie has for Catherine, and how he dislikes Rodolpho.
Eddie's relationship with Beatrice is tight, as we can see from the very beginning of the play. The action starts with Beatrice beaming at Eddie 'she smiles,' and Eddie rejects her, creating tension. ‘I want my respect!’ Eddie declares. He has the impression that Beatrice is no longer acting like his wife and is becoming distant. He wants her to support him and his decisions, but he doesn't believe she does. This dialogue indicates that the two have become estranged. Miller portrays Beatrice standing by Eddie and giving him the benefit of the doubt at the start of the play, but as the play progresses, she hasn't backed him up as much as he would like. Beatrice, on the other hand, feels as if she hasn't changed at all its Eddie that's made things different and difficult.
