A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE
By Arthur Miller
Summary by Manda Djinn
Catherine, at seventeen, is blossoming in mind and body: wearing high heels and walking wiggly. Eddie, her middle-aged adoptive father, doesn’t like it. When she announces she’s taking a job as a stenographer, something she’s been studying and Eddie’s been paying for, he’s alarmed. The company hiring her is near the Brooklyn Navy Yard - which is almost around the corner. Eddie has higher hopes, like her finishing school and working in a swank law office in Manhattan. After all, this is the nineteen-fifties and she’s not your average neighborhood girl, marrying a regular guy and settling down on the block to raise a brood of kids.
While disagreeing with his wife, Beatrice, and Catherine about her taking a job, he agrees to shelter two
illegal Italian
immigrants, Beatrice’s cousins. When the
brothers arrive, Marco is solid and serious but Rodolpho is too handsome, too talented, too humorous and altogether too friendly with Catherine.
The two men begin working on the docks with Eddie. The dockworkers especially like Rodolpho who brings sunshine and warmth into everyone’s heart. Everyone except Eddie because he’s burning with jealousy.
His wife sees the situation and warns him to let Catherine go but he defends his feelings as being natural. Meanwhile their marriage is suffering, he’s too busy worrying after Catherine.
Then Rodolpho proposes to Catherine, who accepts and this further enrages Eddie. Mr. Alfieri, the lawyer, counsels him to loosen his hold on Catherine.
Eddie tries discouraging Rodolpho by first ignoring him then disparaging his manhood. To Catherine, he insists Rodolpho is only after citizenship papers and not really in love with her. Returning home one day, Eddie finds Catherine buttoning her blouse and Rodolpho in the bedroom doorway. During the ensuing argument, Eddie grabs Rodolpho and holding him firmly, shocks and frightens Catherine by kissing him on the mouth.
Eddie visits Mr. Alfieri who senses his conflict and warns him: if he interferes with the couple he’ll be outlawed by both friends and family alike.
But the only way he can see to rid himself of Rodolpho is through the brothers being illegal immigrants. He places an anonymous call to the Bureau of Immigration.
Meanwhile, Beatrice, thinking to pacify Eddie, sends the brothers to live upstairs where two new illegal immigrants are newly installed.
When she tells him, he realizes this new development means unforeseen trouble for him. These new immigrants are the butcher’s nephews. Panicking, he tells Beatrice to ask them to leave right away but it’s too late; the Immigration officers are arriving. Beatrice thinks Eddie is the snitcher, which he denies.
The officers don’t find any illegal immigrants in Eddie’s apartment but search upstairs and find the four immigrants on the top floor.
Marco suspects Eddie and spits into his face, accusing him of treachery in front of a crowd of neighbors. Eddie’s friends turn their backs on his protests.
The prisoners are carted off to jail. Mr. Alfieri counsels them, as he is the one and only lawyer in the neighborhood.
Rodolpho has the last word: due to his coming marriage with Catherine, he is permitted to remain in the country while filing for citizenship.
Marco, will stay until his extradition. However, he feels obligated to carry out the vendetta against Eddie who betrayed him and his brother.
Eddie puts on a brave face, claiming his innocence, and goes to meet his death at Marco’s hands.
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