A View From The Bridge Essay

Every mans got somebody that he lovesBut sometimestheres too much

theres too much love. To what extent is love the most destructive influence in the
play?
Throughout his famed tragedy, A View From The Bridge, Arthur Miller emphasises
the powerfully destructive nature of love. This is most clearly seen through the
clashes between the plays two predominant relationships !ddies illicit desire for
"atherine, and the youthful love shared between his niece and #odolpho. The
complete disintegration of the once$close "arbone family, made up of !ddie, %eatrice
and "atherine, serves as a clear demonstration of the destructive &ualities of love.
!ddies fiery love for "atherine ' and his (ealousy of her relationship with #odolpho
' ends Marcos dreams for success and happiness in America as he is deported bac)
to *taly, while his destitute relations are condemned to a future of suffering and
starvation. *n addition, the frustrations of love directly lead to the eventual death of
!ddie himself, destroyed by his unfulfilled yearnings for "atherine and his hatred of
her relationship with #odolpho. +hile love is undoubtedly a central tragic force, the
nature of !ddies character and the setting of #ed ,oo) are also undeniably
destructive influences throughout the course of the play.
Miller clearly illustrates the destructive potential of love through the brea)$up of the
tight family dynamic consisting of %eatrice, !ddie and "atherine in the course of A
View From The Bridge. The clash of !ddies incestuous desire and the love between
"atherine and #odolpho causes his alienation from both his wife and his niece.
-irtually from the outset of the play, !ddies affection for "atherine is clear. ,e
describes her as .the Madonna type/, idealising her as an image of virginal beauty.
,owever, this affection shatters .the familiar world/ of the household environment.
*n one sense, !ddies feelings for "atherine contribute to his growing alienation from
%eatrice, embodied by the complete lac) of sexual intimacy within their marriage.
%eatrice tentatively as)s in Act 0ne, .+hen am * gonna be a wife again, !ddie?/
!ddie stubbornly responds, .* dont )now, %. * dont want to tal) about it./ +hile
%eatrice remains loyal to !ddie until his death, their relationship never recovers from
this powerful division.
The destructive impact of !ddies passionate feelings upon the family dynamic
extends to his relationship with "atherine. 1he too is gradually driven away by his
violent emotions. +here once a devoted father$daughter bond existed between the
two, %eatrices explanation of the reality of !ddies feelings pushes "atherine to
consider the possibility of moving to *taly. !ddies drun)en order for #odolpho to
.get outa here/ triggers "atherine to sadly respond, .* thin) * cant stay here no
more./ "atherines growing love for #odolpho serves only to reinforce the barrier
developing between herself and !ddie, who simultaneously envies and despises
#odolpho for putting .his dirty filthy hands on her li)e a goddam thief2/ !ddies
decision to inform upon the cousins, motivated by his love for "atherine, proves the
final straw for their relationship, as she labels him .a rat2 ,e belongs in the sewer2/ *n
the course of A View From The Bridge, the audience witnesses the disintegration of
the "arbone family, as both %eatrice and "atherine are gradually alienated from
!ddie by the raw, destructive power of his love.
The destructive influence of love is again evident in the deportation of Marco to *taly,
and the ensuing tragic conse&uences for his poverty$stric)en family. As the play
progresses, !ddie becomes increasingly fixated on the love between "atherine and
#odolpho and his own incestuous passions. This obsession is symbolised by Millers
description of his visits to Alfieri .,is eyes were li)e tunnels/. This feeling
culminates in !ddies decision to inform the *mmigration %ureau of the presence of
the two .submarines/. These two conflicting passions drive !ddie so far beyond
rationality that he will resort to any means ' even the betrayal of one of his own, an
unforgivable offence in #ed ,oo) ' in his attempts to eliminate #odolpho and
validate his own love for "atherine. *n doing so, he destroys Marcos dreams of
constructing a life in the 31A from which to support his destitute family bac) in *taly.
Miller implies that the conse&uences of his deportation for Marcos family are
devastating a future of suffering and starvation. As Marco is carried away by the
immigration officers, he cries .That one2 ,e )illed my children2 That one stole the
food from my children2/ Thus, Miller underlines the destructive nature of love
through Marcos deportation, solely driven by !ddies love for "atherine.
!ddies illicit love for his niece ' the root cause of the disaster that unfolds in A View
From The Bridge ' leads to the ruin of his family and the deportation of Marco bac)
to *taly. Most importantly, however, it also brings about the final tragic destruction of
!ddie himself. %y the plays final scene, !ddies obsessive desires have caused him to
lose almost everything he values. ,is feelings for "atherine, and (ealousy over her
relationship with #odolpho, have driven him to inform upon the cousins, betraying
the very foundations of his societys moral code. *n doing so, his honour has been
publicly stripped by Marcos heated allegations. !ddies love has also driven apart the
"arbone family, his position as the head of his household becoming non$existent as
family life disintegrates. "onse&uently, !ddie has also lost the love of the most
important figure in his life, "atherine, who now sees him as a .rat/, fit only for .the
sewers/. *n driving him to these actions, !ddies love for "atherine had pushed him
past a point of no return he is now solely fixated on earning bac) his honour through
violently confronting Marco. *t presents the last hope of allowing him to reconnect
with society, with his wife and, most importantly, with "atherine. This final
confrontation results in !ddies death. *n a similar way to which !ddies own )nife is
turned bac) upon himself, it is the self$destructive impact of his love for "atherine
that results in his eventual downfall at the hands of Marco. The destructive potential
of love is demonstrated no more clearly than in the downfall of Millers tragic hero,
!ddie "arbone.
+hile love is undoubtedly the dominant destructive force throughout A View From
The Bridge, the nature of life and (ustice in the migrant community of #ed ,oo) '
and how this setting defines !ddies character ' has a significant role in shaping
Millers tragic tale. *n Alfieris opening speech, Miller immediately ma)es it clear
that .(ustice is very important here/. *t is the unwritten codes that govern life within
#ed ,oo), where .all the law is not in a boo)/. *deas of honour are valued much
more greatly than the law according to Alfieri. This culture clearly shapes !ddies
character, who also places great value upon his reputation within society ' his
.name/. As he uneasily remar)s to "atherine, .you can &uic)er get bac) a million
dollars that was stole than a word that you gave away./ Miller also underlines the
absolute nature of (ustice in the migrant community. +ithin this community, many
are .(ustly shot by un(ust men/. The audience is given a stri)ing preview of the nature
of migrant (ustice through the cautionary tale of -inny %ol4ano. ,aving .snitched/
on a member of his family, -inny was set upon by his father and brothers, and thrown
.down the stairs ' three flights his head was bouncin li)e a coconut./ Again, the
character of !ddie is defined by this setting. *n the words of Alfieri, !ddie does not
.settle for half/. ,e refuses to broach any ideas of compromise or forgiveness.
These innate characteristics of the #ed ,oo) community ' the emphasis upon the
unwritten codes of honour and the absolute nature of (ustice ' cause the conflict
between !ddie and the cousins to inevitably spiral towards a destructive conclusion.
As soon as !ddie ma)es the decision to inform the *mmigration %ureau, and thus
draw public condemnation from Marco, the plays conclusion is set. 3nless Marco
ma)es a public concession, there is no other way for !ddies character to reconcile the
situation other than with a violent confrontation. ,e demands that either Marco give
his name .bac) to me in front of this neighbourhood, or we have it out./ Therefore,
!ddie is driven towards his own destruction not only by love, but also by the nature of
his character, as defined by the characteristics of the community of #ed ,oo).
The destructive influence of love is emphasised by Miller throughout A View From
The Bridge. The conflicting passions of !ddie, "atherine and #odolpho lead directly
to the complete brea)down of the "arbone family, the deportation of Marco and the
subse&uent suffering of his family, and the final, tragic death of !ddie himself on the
streets of #ed ,oo). +hile the damaging impact of love is undeniable, the nature of
!ddies character as shaped by the community of #ed ,oo) is also crucial to the
destruction that unfolds in Millers play. !ddies refusal to .settle for half/ and his
fierce belief in honour and reputation inevitably drive the play towards its devastating
conclusion. Through the emotional (ourneys underta)en by Millers characters in A
View From The Bridge, the truly destructive &ualities of love are thrown into sharp
relief.