Themes from a View from the
Bridge
Amber Heaton
Jealousy
• Throughout the play there is the theme of
jealousy, starting with Catherine’s jealousy of
other girls who’s parents/guardians don’t
keep such a tight leash on them.
• Or Eddie’s jealousy of Rodolpho and Catherine
being in love, when he secretly desires
Catherine.
Love
• As well as jealousy there is the theme of love
through the entire play.
• There is the basic family love between
Catherine, Eddie and Beatrice, who have been
a family for a long time and although
Catherine is not Eddie and B’s own daughter
they feel and act like she is, with Eddie saying,
“ I broke my back payin’ her stenography
lessons,”
Love
• This shows that Eddie is saying that he only
wants what is best for her as she is like his
own daughter. B also feels the same way
about Catherine yet she does not posses the
same protection feeling that Eddie has over
Catherine.
Love
• Another type of love is the brotherly love
between Marco and Rodolpho, that becomes
apparent in the chair lifting scene when Marco
threatens Eddie when Eddie “accidentally”
punches Rodolpho too hard.
Love
• There is also the Romantic love between
Rodolpho and Catherine, with Rodolpho
stating that he wouldn’t let Catherine live in
Italy because he “would be a criminal stealing
your face” meaning that he loves Catherine
too much to take her to to live in poverty with
him.
Family
• The theme of family is presented in the play,
especially family loyalty.
• When Eddie tells Catherine the story of Vinny
Bolzano, he empathizes the fact that after
Vinny told on his uncle, his entire family shuns
him and “they spit on him in the street, his
own father and his brothers”
Family
• When Eddie and Beatrice agree to allow
Marco and Rodolpho stay in their house for a
few months illegally this shows the theme of
family loyalty again.
• Though they have not met Marco and
Rodolpho, they agree to let them stay and this
is because Marco and Rodolpho are B’s cousin
and that is what their community does for
family.
Respect
• In the second act, Eddie and Beatrice have a
very tense conversation about the respect
that Eddie thinks Beatrice should be giving
him. Eddie states, “ I want my respect B”, and
he is talking about the respect that Eddie feels
that Beatrice has not been giving her.
Respect
• After Eddie tells the immigration officers abut
Marco and Rodolpho, Marco is furious
because he knows that Eddie told on him.
• After this, Eddie is desperate to “get my name
back” which he feels Marco has taken from
him by disrespecting him in front of the entire
neighborhood.
Masculinity
The theme of Masculinity is presented In the
play in mainly two different ways.
One way is Eddie’s suspicion that Rodolpho is
gay, and how in his mind this is not acceptable
and does not make Rodolpho a “real man”
Masculinity
• The second way masculinity is presented in
the play is how Eddie is constantly fight to be
the “alpha male” in the family once Rodolpho
and Marco arrive. In the past it was very easy
for Eddie as whatever he said, B and Catherine
would do and agree with.
• Thank you