Which Character Changes the Most Throughout the Play “a View from the Bridge”?
In “A View From The Bridge” by Arthur Miller I believe that Eddie is the character who changes most in the course of the play. I will show this by talking about his role in the drama, the dramatic devices and use of language by Miller as well as the background and social context of the play.
Eddie’s role in the play is the most vital one; he is by far the most important character in the play. It is, after all, his inability to deal with his emotions that triggers most of the story and the tragedy that unfolds.
Throughout the play we see many changes in the character of Eddie. At the beginning of the play Eddie is a respected, hard-working man who is protective and kind towards his orphaned niece Catherine. The first scene in the play demonstrates Eddie’s character clearly. He comes home from work and is greeted by an excited Catherine. One stage direction that immediately gives a feel for how Eddie feels about Catherine is “Eddie is pleased, therefore shy about it”. This shows that the simple “Hi, Eddie!” from Catherine is enough to make him shy, almost as if he has been reduced to a ‘schoolboy crush’ state of mind. Later in the scene he tells Catherine that he thinks her skirt is too short and that she is “walkin’ wavy.” He gets very protective of her, saying that she is being very provocative. When Catherine says, “Them guys look at all the girls…” Eddie replies, “You ain’t all the girls.” This adds to the impression that he wants to protect her and may have inappropriate feelings towards her.
But by the end of the play Eddie no longer protects Catherine with all his strength; instead, he focuses solely on attacking Rudolfo and Marco because of his intense jealousy over Rudolfo’s relationship with Catherine. In spite of the advice of his lawyer Alfieri to let things run their course Eddie betrays Rudolfo and Marco and in doing so loses his reputation and goes against his own moral code. In the end Eddie has almost gone mad because his friends and
Eddie’s role in the play is the most vital one; he is by far the most important character in the play. It is, after all, his inability to deal with his emotions that triggers most of the story and the tragedy that unfolds.
Throughout the play we see many changes in the character of Eddie. At the beginning of the play Eddie is a respected, hard-working man who is protective and kind towards his orphaned niece Catherine. The first scene in the play demonstrates Eddie’s character clearly. He comes home from work and is greeted by an excited Catherine. One stage direction that immediately gives a feel for how Eddie feels about Catherine is “Eddie is pleased, therefore shy about it”. This shows that the simple “Hi, Eddie!” from Catherine is enough to make him shy, almost as if he has been reduced to a ‘schoolboy crush’ state of mind. Later in the scene he tells Catherine that he thinks her skirt is too short and that she is “walkin’ wavy.” He gets very protective of her, saying that she is being very provocative. When Catherine says, “Them guys look at all the girls…” Eddie replies, “You ain’t all the girls.” This adds to the impression that he wants to protect her and may have inappropriate feelings towards her.
But by the end of the play Eddie no longer protects Catherine with all his strength; instead, he focuses solely on attacking Rudolfo and Marco because of his intense jealousy over Rudolfo’s relationship with Catherine. In spite of the advice of his lawyer Alfieri to let things run their course Eddie betrays Rudolfo and Marco and in doing so loses his reputation and goes against his own moral code. In the end Eddie has almost gone mad because his friends and