The Relationship Between Characters and Context in a View from the Bridge

A View from the Bridge Long Essay

A study of the characters in a play can offer insight into a time and place in which society was structured according to very different values and attitudes to our own. Discuss how an understanding of the characters in A View from the Bridge help you understand the time and place of a play.

A study of the characters in a play can indeed offer insight into a time and place in which society was structured according to very different values and attitudes to that of a modern viewer. Values are the qualities deemed to be good or acceptable in others by an individual or society, whereas attitudes are a way of thinking or acting. An example of a play in which an understanding of the characters enriches the viewer's contextual understanding is Arthur Miller's 'A View from the Bridge'. The play was set and written in 1950's New York, a time when the roles of men and women within families were greatly dictated by the traditional values and attitudes of both government and society and when homosexuality was considered to be taboo and un-American. It looks closely at the traditional nuclear family structure (a family unit which compromises of a married couple and their children) and patriarchal society of the time, and how these attitudes and values dictate the powers and actions of different characters. It also looks at the intolerance and ignorance with regards to homosexuality. By clearly understanding the characters of this 1955 drama, the viewer is provided with an understanding as to the context in which the play is set and how it was shaped by patriarchal, traditional and intolerant values and attitudes. Examples of such characters are Eddie, Beatrice, and Rodolpho.

An understanding of the role of Eddie within the Carbone household and his sacrifices to support his wife and niece provides the viewer with insight into a lower class society shaped by patriarchal values and attitudes. A patriarchy is a social system in which the male acts as the primary authority figure over women, children and property. In the 1950's the ideal family consisted of a working father, a housewife mother and one or two children, and this nuclear family model pervaded the media in post World War II booming America. It was seen to be the man's job to work hard and put food on the table and to not succeed in doing so would make him a failure in the eyes of society. These values shape Eddie Carbone and his role in the family as he is the sole breadwinner of the household and he '...walked hungry plenty of days in this city!' in order to ensure he fulfilled his role. He tells Alfieri in Act 1 that to care for Catherine '...in the worst times, in the worst, when there wasn't a ship comin' in the harbor, I didn't stand around lookin' for relief- I hustled. When there was empty piers in Brooklyn I went to Hoboken, Staten Island, the West Side, Jersey, all over... I took out of my own mouth to give her.' This informs the viewer that it is Eddie's responsibility to provide for his family no matter what. He is the head of the family and his position of power in the household in the beginning of the play is indicative of the patriarchal attitudes of the time. In the beginning of the play Catherine seeks Eddie's approval of not only her possible joining of the workforce but also her outfit. The conversation between Eddie, Catherine and Beatrice indicates that Catherine will only accept the job with Eddie's say so. His initial reluctance is only worsened when he is informed that she will earn fifty dollars a week, which indicates that he feels threatened. He wants her to work in a nice area, but places no importance on how much she actually earns ('…did I ask you for money? I supported you this long, I'll support you a little more.') and this is due to pride. He is proud of his ability to support her and Beatrice, especially in times of trouble (as evidenced in his conversation with Alfieri), as this is a key part of his identity. As the central authority figure over Catherine it is his job to go out and work hard and if she joined the workforce his power would be greatly lessened and her dependence on him diminished. Another example of the values, attitudes and expectations of men at the time motivating Eddie to enter conflict is his closing fight with Marco. Rodolpho threatened his authority over Catherine and Marco had 'got' his name and so Eddie fights for his respect. Respect is a key part of the patriarchal system- without respect, the man is no longer seen to be a suitable figure of authority. Without the respect of his community or his family, and unable to protect his niece from Rodolpho, he cracks. The stage directions in Eddie's speech to Marco outside of the Carbone house ('He is incensing himself and little bits of laughter even escape him as his eyes are murderous and he cracks his knuckles in his hands with a strange sort of relaxation'.) demonstrate a man whose mind frame has shattered in the face of losing those things which he values as a 1950's family man. An understanding of Eddie Carbone and his position of authority and power within 'A View from the Bridge' helps the viewer to understand how patriarchal values and attitudes shaped the context of the play.

Beatrice Carbone provides the viewer with insight into the subservient role of women in the nuclear family structure and the values and attitudes which define her role as a wife and adoptive mother. In 1950's America women were far from equal to men in society. In the nuclear family model, which was the back bone of the post war baby boom, the woman is merely a housewife. In 'The Good Wife's Guide', published in Housekeeping Monthly in May 1955, the role of a good wife is outlined as having the dinner ready and children prepared for when the husband comes home and that 'A good wife always knows her place.' This 'place' is one of little authority and is unlikely to involve employment or empowerment. Despite the increasing percentage of women in the workforce throughout the decade, the woman's role was still widely accepted to be that of a housewife who raises the children and runs the house. Her 'place' is also below her husband- the man has the authority as he earns the money. In the 1950's women made up only just over a quarter of the workforce and government campaigns encouraged women to embrace their traditional roles as home-makers and to leave employment to the men. It was the duty of the woman to please the man in the bedroom and to be a domestic goddess. Beatrice is a result of these values and attitudes and her actions and character educate the viewer as to these expectations placed upon women within the context of the play. She does not work but instead stays at home, presumably being a 'domestic goddess' by cooking and cleaning. She holds no power over Eddie- when she learns her cousins are about to land in New York one of her immediate reactions is that of shame because she doesn't have any food to cook or a nice table cloth. This shame isn't a personal one- she tells Eddie that she is '… just worried about you, that's all I'm worried.' as she feels '...afraid that if it don't turn out good you'll be mad at me.'. She is anxious about her husband's reputation and about his happiness more so than her own, despite him showing no concerns whatsoever about her cousins' arrival. Even though she lives in the house and she is too doubtlessly making sacrifices in order to house the illegal immigrants, she praises Eddy and declares him to be an angel when he says it will be an honour to welcome them into the house. The honour is his, not hers, despite the house belonging to both of them. The duty of wives to pleasure the man in the bedroom and the sexual inequality of the genders of the time is also evident in Beatrice. The discussion between Beatrice and Eddy about their sex life is one which is quite revealing as to Beatrice's complete lack of power and importance in the marriage. She feels that sex is a key part to her role as a wife ('When am I gonna be a wife again, Eddie?') and she assumes that their dry spell is a result of her either doing something wrong or him not liking her anymore- that the fault is hers and hers alone. She suspects (correctly) that Eddie is no longer interested due to worrying about and possibly lusting confusedly after Catherine, but she does not directly accuse him. The general attitudes of the times were that it was the wife's responsibility to keep her husband interested and it was a failure on her part if her wasn't, and this is clearly key to what Beatrice feels is required of her as a good wife. When she does directly tell Eddy to do anything, for example to go into the house during the final scene or to stop worrying about Catherine, he ignores her pleas and this is also a reflection of her complete lack of power within the relationship. At no point do any of her actions or attempts to stop Eddy and Catherine from acting foolishly prevent the play from running it's bloody course and this is because as the subservient home-maker she holds no power or authority within a patriarchal society. An understanding of Beatrice and her own views as to her role in the Carbone family and what is required of her to be a wife educates the viewer as to the gender inequality and expectations of women in the context of the play.

One of the main sources of conflicts of the play is the attitude of Eddie towards Rodolpho, and Rodolpho's treatment as a possible homosexual gives the viewer insight as to a time and place of great ignorance and intolerance towards homosexuality. During the time in which the play was written the Lavender Scare was taking place. The Lavender Scare is a term which refers to the fear and prosecution of homosexuals in America in the 1950's. The second Red Scare (1950-1954) was occurring at the same time with the wide spread prosecution of potential communist spies throughout America. Senator John McCarthy, a prominent political figure during the Cold War, repeatedly linked the two together as he claimed that the 'sexually perverse' (non-heterosexual people) were liable to blackmail, were emotionally 'wrong', un-American and could easily be coerced into spying for the Soviets and were therefore a threat to the country. In 1953 being 'sexually perverse' was a sackable offence in a federal job and the laws of the decade were based upon the notion that homosexuality was an illness and a sin, (making it both a sign of mental illness and a crime against nature). It was defined as a mental illness by the psychiatric committee and in some instances lobotomies were performed on gay people in order to cure them. These homophobic attitudes and values are crucial to the character of Rodolpho. The basis for Eddie's belief as to Rodolpho's sexuality is his appearance and behaviour. He has (possibly dyed) blonde hair, can sing and sew and he gives Eddie the 'heeby-jeebies'. Repeatedly Eddie refers to Rodolpho as 'wrong' and that 'The guy ain't right.'. Never are his suspicions directly articulated- the topic is clearly a taboo for Eddie (homosexuality was not an openly discussed topic in 1950's America). The other longshoremen are also suspicious of Rodolpho as he does not meet their requirements of an acceptable and American man. In the 1950's men were not meant to sew, they were meant to work hard, and they were not supposed to spend their earnings on themselves, they were meant to support their family. As Rodolpho does not do any of these things he is perceived to have something wrong with him and the diagnosis of homosexuality is the only logical explanation for an effeminate man in the eyes of the ignorant men of Red Hook. Rodolpho's sexuality is never clarified in the play, despite Eddie's (at times forceful and verging on assault) attempts to prove his own suspicions, but the societal implications of even the possibility of him not fitting the requirements of a man in the eyes of the majority of the male characters in the play are clear. The treatment of Rodolpho due to his possible sexuality informs the viewer of a context in which homosexuality was taboo, 'curable' and considered completely unacceptable by society.

An understanding of the characters of 'A View from the Bridge' provides the viewer with insight into a particular place and time in which society was structured according to vastly different values and attitudes. Within the context of 1950's New York, the structure and dynamics Carbone family and the treatment of homosexuality are dictated by the intolerant and patriarchal attitudes and values of the time. An understanding of the expected roles of the man as a figure of authority and power within the family and the wife as a subservient home-maker in the 1950's are gained by the viewer from the play through the characters and expectations of Eddie and Beatrice Carbone. An insight into the Lavender Scare and the negative and fearful attitude of the majority of America at the time is also given to viewer through the character of Rodolpho and the treatment of him by Eddie and his co-workers. These characters and their personal struggles to either support their family, to be a good wife or to simply be accepted as who they may or may not be ensures that the play not only tells a story but also presents the viewer with an awareness as to a context and societal structure varying from their own.