The essay critically analyzes the theme of 'relationships' in Arthur Miller's play 'A View from the Bridge', focusing on the character Eddie Carbone and his interactions with Catherine, Beatrice, Marco, and Rodolpho. It highlights how Eddie's overprotectiveness and jealousy lead to the deterioration of these relationships, ultimately resulting in his own downfall. Through a detailed examination of each relationship, the essay emphasizes the complexities and consequences of Eddie's actions on his connections with others.

1. Critical analysis of “A view from the bridge” by Arthur
Miller under the theme of ‘relationships’
By:
Husain Necklace
Al Jamea Saifiyah – Arabic academy

2. Introduction:
Arthur Miller has embedded within his play, ‘a view from the bridge’,
several themes and symbols for the audiences to discern in order to understand the
message he is trying to convey through his characters, dialogues and the initial
story. Some of those themes include: ‘Family’, ‘choices’, etc.
The intention and focal point of this essay is to elucidate upon the theme of
‘relationships’ by fixating upon the character of ‘Eddie Carbone’ and enumerating
the relationship between him and the other main characters of the play, while
towards the end, concluding how he himself became the catalyst for the ruin of
himself and for the rupture of the relationships between him and the other
characters.
In order to do this, the essay has been divided into three parts which discuss
three relationships:
1. Eddie Carbone and Catherine
2. Eddie Carbone and Beatrice
3. Eddie Carbone and Marco and Rodolpho
The essay would also like to state that it will try and analyze but a few aspects
of these relationships while understanding that there may be numerous more still.

3. Eddie Carbone and Catherine:
The very first act begins by delineating the relationship between Eddie and
Catherine. In the beginning of the act, the audiences notice how close the two
characters are with each other which is evident through Catherine’s act of lighting
Eddie’s cigarette, the way she walks around him in her slip and how she sits on the
bathtub while he shaves. In that same act, the audiences also notice how Eddie
projects his feelings of overprotectiveness for his niece – Catherine – when he
comments about her walking ‘wavy’ and states: “I don’t like the looks they’re
givin’ you in the candy store” while also objecting about her leaving school and
working a job.
The audiences also observe Catherine’s desperate feelings for Eddie’s
approval; an example of which is when she states, referring to her skirt: “I just got
it, you like it?” (after running her hands over her skirt). Similarly, when he asks
her about her hair and she again replies: “You like it?” An element of such is again
displayed towards the end when Catherine confesses to Beatrice that she does not
feel it right to marry Rodolpho if Eddie ‘doesn’t feel good about it’.
However, this been said, as the play progresses the audiences notice how the
relationship between these two characters become more complicated and tense due
to Eddie’s self inflictory acts. The most evident proof of this would be Catherine’s
statement – “that rat!” – directed towards Eddie. One could suggest that this is due
to Eddie’s own executions.
As stated above, Eddie’s feelings of overprotectiveness about Catherine –
probably induced due to his love for her – was such that it slowly began to anger
her. For example, when Eddie tried to stop her from taking the job, when he
criticizes her for ‘waving to Louis’ out of jealousy, to which Catherine states: “I
wish there was one guy you couldn’t tell me things about”, when he tried stopping
her from getting close to Rodolpho because he thought that he was only ‘bowing
down to his passport’, how he thinks of her as a child and does not allow her to
make her own decisions – “you’re a baby you don’t understand these things”,
when he kisses her while drunk, and finally towards the end when his feelings of
overprotectiveness fences him from accepting to attend her wedding, all of her
anger, as a result, caused her to call Eddie “that rat!” which portrays to the

4. audiences how Eddie himself, due to his actions, caused the rift between him and
his niece.

5. Eddie Carbone and Beatrice Carbone:
The relationship between Eddie and Beatrice Carbone is, throughout the
play, a bit complicated. The audiences can fully contemplate that in the very first
act when Beatrice feels uneasy and awkward when Catherine hugs Eddie and
light’s his cigar for him – “Who’s mad? (She gets up, clearing the dishes) I’m not
mad…” This also portrays to the audiences that Beatrice was jealous of the
relationship between Eddie and Catherine. That is exponentially obvious through
her statement: “When am I going to be a wife again?” The audiences also notice
that Beatrice tries to convey her feelings of awkwardness to Catherine when she
asks her for some advice regarding the situation between her and Eddie and when
Beatrice clearly states that ‘she needs to grow up’ and ‘stop acting like a child’
around Eddie.
However, the audiences are also fully aware of the fact that Beatrice, no
matter what happens, always remains loyal to Eddie. This is evident when towards
the end she decides to stay with him instead of going to Catherine’s wedding and
when she scolds Catherine for calling him “that rat!” and takes his side
enumerating all the hardships he has endured for them.
Yet, this been said, the audiences also witness that Eddie’s feelings for his
wife are not as strong as his feelings for his niece; which is again evident through
his act of kissing Catherine, his jealousy and overprotectiveness towards her and
his negligence and lack of attention towards his wife which the audiences notice
throughout the play and which Beatrice makes evident towards the end by stating:
“I know what you want, and you will never get her!”.
Through this, the audiences are able to contemplate how Eddie loses a loyal
and loving wife due to his feelings for his niece and his overprotectiveness for her.

6. Eddie Carbone and Marco and Rodolpho:
The relationship between these three characters is perhaps the most
interesting in the entire play. That is so because the arrival of the two immigrants is
what became the catalyst of Eddie Carbone’s ruin. However, as stated above,
Eddie was similarly responsible for his own ruin due to his actions driven by his
overposessiveness and jealousy.
It is quickly apparent that Rodolpho and Catherine fall for each other the
minute they lay their eyes on one another. Eddie notices how they share glances
and immediately feel possessive and worried for the wellbeing of his niece.
Later on, the audiences watch Eddie desperately trying to convince
Catherine that Rodolpho is only using her for his ‘passport’ and that he’s
homosexual. He does that so by alluding towards his habit of singing, not being
able to fight and kissing him after Catherine while drunk.
When these desperate attempts fail him, he decides to inform the
immigration bureau about two immigrants living illegally in his house. This single
act rips him off his dignity, induces hate for him within Catherine and makes
Marco furious.
Towards the end, the audiences see how all these misjudged acts comprised
together formulate into Eddie Carbone’s own sorrowful death.

7. Conclusion:
Therefore, in conclusion, as enumerated above, in these ways and due to
these self inflictory acts, Eddie Carbone devices the rupture between his
relationship with the other main characters and shapes the path towards his own
ruin and death.