Manliness, Hostility, and Aggression in A View From the Bridge Essay

Manliness, Hostility, and Aggression in A View From the Bridge Arthur millers A View from the Bridge represents the ideas ofmanliness and how the perception of certain individuals (Eddie)affects the lives of their young man fri extirpates and family. The play isbased around the views of the plays protagonist, Eddie. His analysisof the manlike personality leads to conflict when other viriles, in thiscase Rodolpho, do non conform to his ideas of manliness. Hostility,aggression and masculinity are the main themes which influence the fashion of the play and the way they are associated with each other plyan outgrowth in tension in the minds of the reader.Eddie is the plays main eccentric who has very distinct views on whata man should be like. He feels it is necessary for a man to beaggressive and to use effect in order to state his authority andpower. This is evident when he asks Catherine Whats the high heelsfor, Garbo? Eddie asks this in a very sarcastic manor, however, he isf ull aware that he wants things his own way. Eddie also considersbravery and the reputation of the male to be vital in a manspersonality. This is shown by the way he battles Marco nearer the endof the play, not to make friends that to restore his reputation. Thelanguage in which Arthur Miller employs when Eddie is speaking tendsto be pretty provocative for the person he is addressing, particularlywith the way he has chiefly been shown to ask or talk to otherpeople in a challenging manner. This is evident when Eddie refers toRodolpho as fruit aint right and no genuine. These quotes show nomanners what so ever and portray a very negative approach indicatingconfrontation to the reader. However the quote sees the... ...is punch-drunk personality shows us how lifeshould be lived. Arthur Millers views on masculinity are introducedinto the character of Alfieri, through this character he reveals howhe feels it is better to settle for half. This means settling forwhat is available to yo u having worked out a compromise. With hisperception on manliness he includes Eddie, Marco and Rodolpho. Thesethree characters portray Millers views on masculinity on threedifferent levels, wake that Marco being in between Eddie andRodolpho is the real man as he enforces violence when need be and alsobeing in edge with his feminine side shown by his family values.Miller has Eddie killed by Marco at the end this is a metaphor and asign of the real man lovable in his eyes and believes that living thelife of Eddie will not allow you to achieve everything you ever wantin life.