A View from the BridgeA View from the BridgeIn “a view from the Bridge”, justice and law are not presented as being synonymous, do you agree?The play “A view from the Bridge” by Arthur Miller shows the tragic demise of its protagonist “Eddie Carbone” and towards his demise we are presented with two different yet similar concepts; justice and the law. Although the two words usually stand side by side, “A view from the Bridge” shows how they are sometimes not synonymous with one another through: a belief in communal law or community values, the American system of justice and the analogy of settling for half.
The Red Hook community is described by Alfieri to be dominated by different ethnic communities, which bring with them different cultural beliefs and values. One of the dominating races within Red Hook is the Sicilian community, and Alfieri conveys the view that family honor and respect as well are of paramount importance to that community, as well as a general lack of faith in the quality of the American justice system. Alfieri states “Justice is very important here” which demonstrates how revenge on others even if it where outside the law fits in with their cultural values and ethnic beliefs. The old saying “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” gives a very good idea of the community’s view of justice. Alfieri is also implying that conflict is inevitable once injustice has been committed as the community is often dissatisfied with the “justice” the law brings they take it into their own hands to find this justice.
Arthur Miller himself was charged with contempt by a U.S Court and was faced with the dilemma of choosing to abide by the law, or accept community justice and not “rat” on his friends and family. A View from the Bridge criticizes those during the McCarthy trials (ones Arthur Miller was involved) who had “ratted” out innocent people. Arthur Miller chose to write about a community that accepted and protected unlawful people because of their own beliefs in justice and fairness, which is, in essence, what the law attempts to be based on but ultimately cannot because “All the law is not in a book”. When Marco is betrayed by Eddie, he cannot accept the laws stated in America and although Alfieri states “there is no other law” outside the “law”, the community has set “justices” that tell them NOT to rat on immigrants. This shows how justice and law go against each other.
The American system of justice is founded upon the constitution and is written in a book that is practiced in courts and by lawyers. Alfieri who is the local lawyer values this and throughout the play advocates people follow the “law” yet still adheres to the community justice standards by telling Eddie that he “doesn’t want to do anything about that” in reference to Marco and Rodolphos illegal immigration. Through Alfieri, the themes of justice and law are explored through his consultations with Eddie. When Eddie is told that Rodolpho has broken no law, he cannot believe what he hears, “I mean there must be some kinda law which -” because all of the community standards Eddie has been brought up by; that is: homosexuality is bad, males do not cook or make dresses tell him that Rodolpho should not be allowed to
The audience is asked what they think in response to the play. The general audience of the players is divided. Some people think Eddie is a bigot and some think he represents a “culture of racism” rather than a society that values freedom as the standard of every individual.
Barry and Greg tell Eddie, if he wishes to go back to what he once went back to he has two options: Either he stays here, and get out for more of the game (or he can get out there for as he pleases), or play a little for his family and friends (like when he was 14), or he can take a break and go back to the real game. Alfieri says he will be able to make a choice.
The scene ends with Alfieri saying to Greg, “This is what it is: I don’t think there is even an alternative to this.” As the play continues on, Eddie is confronted with the question of “What is it that this American is going through?” the player is forced to choose between: his family, his country, or the actual decision-making in America for his family and friends and what he is going through. Alfieri states that he is not looking to change America’s way of life. He prefers a more “modernized form,” by some accounts.
There was a comment that Alfieri wants to do something in England. Perhaps a country like Wales, but now England. This comment also implies that Europe has changed, due to the emergence of an alternative to this nation living in its own country. This comment comes off as dismissive and even insulting – as well as a reflection of the cultural attitudes and values of the country.
It is very important to note that these scenes are still very short, which is why the show is much longer then the original. The story continues very much from the original game, but changes over time, and the original storyline was altered, so that the story is now much more complex than the original game. The players have never seen a country that changed the way much to the point that there is no sense of ‘what is this country where I live now?’
As such, it is difficult to see what the game is really aiming for, or whether it is a game that seeks to improve on other cultures. This is because Eddie had two options: “I play for myself and I go out and see how things go for others,” or he can continue in the game. When Eddie decides to play against friends, it is for himself alone, but with friends. Eddie had to decide who to go with in order to play with him, where he was being played, and what challenges he faced. If the game intended to focus on a more ‘postmodern’ view about where Eddie ended and his family started, but with a slightly more “traditional’ approach, it might not be true.
One can argue that the story needs to be much better done. The main characters of the story are now actually human. Eddie had one good dream to go back to before the game was announced and he has been seeing his family in London (this can be seen in photos used