A View from the Bridge Ultimately Shows That Individuals Control Their Own Fate. Discuss
In Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge, the idea that individuals ultimately control their own fates and are to be held accountable for the outcomes they experience is explored through the character of Eddie and the actions he takes that eventually lead to his death. Miller also explores the idea that a refusal of responsibility can have disastrous and in this play’s case, fatal consequences.
Eddie Carbone, the play’s protagonist is shown as a hard working family man who is well respected in the community of Red Hook. The actions that he takes to appease his own wishes of keeping Catherine in his life are ultimately the actions that lead to his death and Eddie is solely to blame for his fate as he already knew the consequences of his actions. In the beginning of the play the story of Vinny Bolzano is discussed between Eddie and his family as Eddie’s warning to them that if anyone tells immigration of Beatrice’s cousins, they will end up like Vinny who “snitched” on his own uncle to immigration. As Eddie tells the story, it is he who foreshadows his own destiny when he says Vinny’s family “spit on him in the street” just like Marco does to him when Eddie calls immigration himself. Miller further adds to the idea that Eddie knew of the consequences of the actions he would take as he is deliberately present in the scene where Marco is telling Beatrice of his tragic life in Italy how his wife is forced to feed his children “from her own mouth”. By having Eddie present in this scene, Miller leaves no doubt in readers minds that Eddie was consciously aware that his actions would result in him being hated in the community and by Marco as he would be the cause of the death of Marco’s children.
Throughout the play Miller also tries to further blame Eddie for his own fate by having other characters warn Eddie that his actions will only lead to terrible outcomes. Beatrice is shown warning Eddie throughout the play that his jealousy and overprotectiveness need to stop.
Eddie Carbone, the play’s protagonist is shown as a hard working family man who is well respected in the community of Red Hook. The actions that he takes to appease his own wishes of keeping Catherine in his life are ultimately the actions that lead to his death and Eddie is solely to blame for his fate as he already knew the consequences of his actions. In the beginning of the play the story of Vinny Bolzano is discussed between Eddie and his family as Eddie’s warning to them that if anyone tells immigration of Beatrice’s cousins, they will end up like Vinny who “snitched” on his own uncle to immigration. As Eddie tells the story, it is he who foreshadows his own destiny when he says Vinny’s family “spit on him in the street” just like Marco does to him when Eddie calls immigration himself. Miller further adds to the idea that Eddie knew of the consequences of the actions he would take as he is deliberately present in the scene where Marco is telling Beatrice of his tragic life in Italy how his wife is forced to feed his children “from her own mouth”. By having Eddie present in this scene, Miller leaves no doubt in readers minds that Eddie was consciously aware that his actions would result in him being hated in the community and by Marco as he would be the cause of the death of Marco’s children.
Throughout the play Miller also tries to further blame Eddie for his own fate by having other characters warn Eddie that his actions will only lead to terrible outcomes. Beatrice is shown warning Eddie throughout the play that his jealousy and overprotectiveness need to stop.