The Carbone family Essay Example

The Carbone family Essay This is where Catherine tries to find her own independence. She tells Eddie that he should be happy for her, and that shell see him around the neighbour hood. Also that she cannot stay there any longer. Eddie repeats him self again. You aint goin nowheres. At the moment Eddie seems to be in control of himself and is forcing his will on Catherine. Catherine is in tears now and tries to tell Eddie that she can handle her self. Eddie, Im not gonna be a baby no more! You - (He reaches out suddenly, draws her to him, and as she strives to free herself her kisses her on the mouth. ) Rodolpho immediately does the manliest thing that hes ever done in the play and stops Eddie. Dont(He pulls on Eddies arm)Stop that! Have respect for her! Rodolpho stands up to Eddie to protect Catherine, he does this as he tells Eddie that Catherine will be his wife which is what he wants his wife. Eddie starts to provoke and tease Rodolpho, Eddie does this as he believes that Rodolpho can do nothing to harm him, he also thinks that now he has kissed Catherine she knows how a real man kisses and will stay. Rodolpho can no longer take the teasing that Eddie is doing. (With tears of rage) (Rodolpho flies at him in attack. Eddie pins his arms, laughing, and suddenly kisses him. ) This is extremely unexpected and it shocks the audience and repels them. Eddie laughs at Rodolpho who is horror and rigid on the floor. Catherine also stars in horror as Eddie laughs mockingly. Eddie some how believes that by kissing Rodolpho he has shown Rodolphos true sexuality, and that he enjoyed it. (To Catherine) You see? (To Rodolpho) I give you till tomorrow, kid. We will write a custom essay sample on The Carbone family specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Carbone family specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Carbone family specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Get outa here. Alone. You hear me? Alone. Eddie has violently and aggressively forced Catherine and Rodolpho to kiss him. These kisses could be a sign of Eddie suppressed sexual feelings as he and Beatrice have not been intimate for a while. The language in A View From The Bridge is different and mixed, Eddie Beatrice and Catherine use short, simple sentences, colloquial and uneducated, fitting with the view of Red Hook being a poor, uneducated area. Alfieri, the lawyer, has an educated, almost upper class style of language, because he is a professional. Rodolpho has a witty and entertaining style and he can gain interest with this (interest which Eddie wishes he wouldnt get). Marco says little in the play, apart from Act II he becomes more involved. He is soft spoken and thinks before he says anything. He is more of a physical force that Eddie must not cross but will should he harm Rodolpho. The characters in A View From The Bridge were originally small parts, but they were enlarged later on. In the American Society of the 1950s women were portrayed as weak and were only around to cook, clean and have children. Catherine is nai ve as she is unaware of how inappropriate it is for her to walk around in her slip, or watch and talk to Eddie while he shaves in his underwear. This is something that couples and married couples do. Catherine starts to tears away from Eddie when she finds someone who will love and protect her. Beatrice, Eddies wife is very understanding. Her love for Eddie knows no boundaries, she still loves him after he reports her cousins, and even though she knows that something is not right with Eddie. Beatrice is jealous of Catherine and Eddies relationship and she openly addresses Eddies lack of intimacy with her. When am I gonna be a wife again, Eddie? Beatrice wants Eddies approval as they are married and she needs it more that their niece. She forgives him for the whole incident with Catherine, whereas most women would leave any man attempting something so twisted as incest in my opinion. Alfieri is one of the most important roles in the play. He is the bridge between the two societies of America and Italy. He stays true to his ethnic identity. He is a well educated man who studies and respects American life. Alfieri constantly informs the audience and provides a commentary on what is happening. Alfieri gives Eddie epic proportions when Eddie comes to see him about getting rid of Marco and Rodolpho without informing the Immigration Bureau. I looked in his eyes more than I listened in fact, I can hardly remember the conversation. But I will never forget how dark the room became when he looked at me; his eyes were like tunnels. This makes A View From The Bridge seem more like a Greek Tragedy. Alfieri makes Eddie sound like a legendary character. Alfieri is similar to Arthur Miller as he is the teller of a great story and cannot change anything. Life in the 1950s for men and women would have been strict. For example many men these days take jobs that are feminine such as hairdressing, in Eddies view that aint right. Society has changed and most women now work and there are not many housewives any more. Law allows women to work and they can do manly jobs such as joining the army and becoming an officer, join the police force etc. Many men are similar to Rodolpho nowadays as they cook, clean, dance, sing, and some design clothes. The society has changed a great deal since the 1950s. Through out the play we as the audience, learn a lot about the characters and the people involved in each scene. Eddie is a complicated man, who because of his lack of education finds it hard to express himself, he can only do this through aggression and hostility. Beatrice gains a little more power over Eddie as he dies in her arms, he goes back to her. In a way I think that Eddie considers Beatrice to be a kind of safety net, because he knows that shell always be there for him. Catherine who is young, innocent and vulnerable in the play is happily unaware of Eddies desires towards her. Catherine ends up standing up to Eddie and questioning his authority when he says that they cant go to her wedding and why Beatrice listens to him. (Clearing from Beatrice)What are you scared of? Hes a rat! He belongs in a sewer! From this form of aggression shown by Catherine, when Eddie dies she tells him Eddie, I never meant to do nothing bad to you. She never meant to hurt him, but she was angry because of what he did. Marco changes in Act II, he plays a bigger part and is in more of the action, whereas Rodolphos character sort of fades into the background. Marco becomes bitter and passionate at the same time. He seeking revenge, because Eddie grassed on him to the Bureau and his country as he says In my country he would be dead now. He would not live this long. These many acts of manliness and hostility from some of the characters towards the others leads to aggression, which at the end, escalates as we find out about the happenings and goings on towards the end. This behaviour which is used throughout the play leads to the destruction and death of a happy family. Eddie was not afraid to show or share his views on the two submarines, this finally led to his fate, of him losing his social identity and this own death. Miller has shown a wide variety of theatrical techniques throughout this play through the dialogue, imagery, vocabulary, stage directions. When I read these two scenes I had my own views and pictures in my mind of how it would be acted out and how the characters had formed and how they became and acted they ways that they do. These two scenes are very important as they link the themes together, and create tension, excitement and give you an idea of 1950s Brooklyn, well the slums anyway. I think that certain elements in the play, although they have not been elaborated on are the close-nit community that the Carbone family lives in. The three themes are all linked to this idea of what it means to be a man. When I first read this play, I found it in a way disturbing to contemplate something such as Eddies incestuous desires for his young niece. All the way through the play is riveting and keeps you interested.