The Significance of Omerta in 'a View Frmo the Bridge'

Omerta is an alpha male stereotype classing any man to take on this role to be masculine, loyal, dominant, and inevitable; this was originally a syndicate called the mafia containing Italian-American grouped men mostly emigrated from matiosa, Italy, brought up with violence as their culture, still, honouring the oath for years to come, and still remain as we stand. All men to be sworn by an oath regarding the code of silence honouring them to be loyal and to protect their family .For example, Eddie tells the story of Vinny Bolzano. His life was shattered in a matter of seconds due to him reporting his uncle to the bureau of immigration; his family therefore disowned him as a punishment of his defiance. Eddie quotes “and they grabbed him in the kitchen and pulled him down three flights, his head was bouncin’ like a coconut” this simile creates a horrifying visual image of this scene in the play giving the audience the power to experience this event causing them to flinch in their seats. Right from the start Eddie establishes himself as the ‘man of the household’ as he was; knowledgeable, experienced in law and thought of himself as all of the above, therefore always in control treating his family as if they were his authority. However we criticise the situation as it comes with negative effects on the characters, such as Eddie’s possessiveness for Catherine “I don’t like the looks they’re givin’ you in the candy store” it makes him feel uneasy, as if he is not in control. His flippant behaviour towards Rodolpho’s arrival, for example, “look, kid; you don’t want to be picked up, do ya?” There are also positive effects on Eddie, such as his courage, loyalty and knowledge.
Arthur Miller uses a two act structure to enable the audience to compare Eddie's good and rather sinister behaviour, and also, Alfieri. Alfieri is not only the family lawyer, but also Miller has cleverly used his character to play the narrator and give essential background information to help