Catherines changing appearance Essay Example for Free

Catherines changing appearance Essay A View from the Bridge was set in America in the 1950s. Arthur Miller was inspired to write the play when he was working as a longshoreman at Brooklyn shipyard to earn money for his college fees. He heard a story that men were coming over from Italy to work illegally and were being betrayed. At this time Italy was a very poor country with not many jobs to go around therefore many Italians were trying their luck in America, they became known as Italian Americans. However to become and American citizen they would need a green card which became difficult to get hold of because there was a limited amount of them. The Carbone family Eddie, his wife Beatrice and her orphaned niece Catherine, who is 17, are first generation Americans of Italian origin, they are a working class family. Eddie works as a longshoreman at Brooklyn shipyards; they live nearby in Red Hook, a poor area of Brooklyn which is described by Alfieri as a slum. This is where the play is set. The Carbone family take in two illegal immigrants, who are Beatrices Italian cousins. Before the cousins arrival we can see that Eddie and Catherine have a strong bond between them. Eddie arrived home from work and is confronted with Catherines changing appearance, Almost in tears because he disapproves. This suggests that Eddie is overprotective towards Catherine and may imply that he does not want her to grow up or gain independence. This also shows that Catherine cares about Eddies opinion of her; it tells the reader they are close and that Catherine may act younger than her age. Miller establishes Eddie as a caring character. This is apparent when Catherine and Beatrice have just told him about the job. Its not wonderful. Youll never get nowheres unless you finish school. This implies he cares about Catherine and always will which may be a problem later on in the play because Catherine will want to go her own way, however it could also portray that he will support Catherine to do her best. We can tell that Eddie is a well respected member of the community and that he is admired by his niece. This is visible when Eddie realises he left a cigar in his other coat. Stay there! Ill get it for you. This implies that Catherine only wants to do what Eddie approves of which could end up being a problem because there will be things that Eddie will disagree with when Catherine gains independence that could cause conflict and overprotective behaviour. It also shows she only wants to please Eddie. It tells the reader that she respects him by rushing around for him. Eddie provides a warm welcome to both cousins upon their arrival however he is more reserved towards Rodolfo. He appears to take a shine to Marco, this is apparent when Eddie opens the door to the cousins. Come on in (he shakes Marcos hand.) This shows that he welcoming both cousins however the fact that he only shook Marcos hand may indicate that he is wary of Rodolfo because of his appearance after all they have not had a conversation yet. Eddie is also welcoming when he takes the cousins bags. Exits into bedroom with their bags. This shows that he is trying to please the guests and make them feel welcome; he also wants to make Beatrice happy by pleasing the cousins, Eddie almost mirrors Catherines actions towards him. Miller uses precise language and stage directions to show that Catherine is eager to learn more about the cousins this is apparent when Miller uses stage directions such as wondrously and enthralled. Miller may also be trying to show that she likes one of the cousins in a sexual manner. Eddies jealousy is becoming more apparent, what are the high heels for Garbo? This implies that she may be trying to impress Rodolfo because she is attracted to him. By comparing his niece to Garbo he is showing that he may not be happy with her getting attention from other men, he may also be trying to embarrass and humiliate Catherine as she tries to impress, and this creates an awkward atmosphere. As the play progresses Eddies hostility towards Rodolfo develops. Catherine is pouring sugar into Rodolfos cup. His face puffed with trouble. This could tell the reader that Eddie is jealous that Rodolfo is getting attention from Catherine; this also implies that Eddie dislikes Rodolfo. Eddie is telling Beatrice that he dislikes Rodolfo and that he doesnt think he is right. Eddie seems to be spurred on when his friends laugh about Rodolfos femininity. And with that wacky hair; hes like a chorus girl or sumpm. This indicates that Eddie thinks Rodolfo is a homosexual because of his appearance and the things he does. Singing, cooking and dress making were addressed as womans skills in the 1950s therefore Eddie was using these against Rodolfo to argue that he was homosexual. Eddies reason for trying to prove Rodolfos sexuality may be because he truly thinks that Rodolfo may be homosexual and may just be using Catherine to gain American citizenship. However another interpretation could be that Eddie is simply trying to split Rodolfo and Catherine up because he has sexual feelings towards Catherine. To do this he tries to convince Catherine that Rodolfo is just using her to be an American citizen and doesnt love her. We know this when Eddie says Katie, hes only bowin to his passport. It also implies that Eddie may be trying to put her off him because of his own dislike of Rodolfo; this could be because he is jealous that Catherine is attracted to Rodolfo.