A View from the Bridge York Notes

Near the beginning of the play Eddie asks Beatrice to tell Catherine the story of Vinny Bolzano. He does so in order to impress on Catherine his belief that nobody should ‘snitch’ on their friends and neighbours to the authorities. When he does betray the cousins to the Immigration Authorities he does so because he desperately needs to destroy the relationship between Rodolfo and Catherine. When Eddie speaks to Beatrice at the beginning of the play he is quite happy to welcome the immigrants to his home. Arthur Miller builds tension very carefully, mainly through the way he develops Eddie’s character from someone who is co-operative and pleasant, to a man who loses control. At the beginning he says to Catherine, ‘Well ... I hope you have good luck. I wish you the best. You know that, kid.’ Towards the end he says, ‘Didn’t you hear what I told you? You walk out that door to that wedding you ain’t coming back here, Beatrice.’

Eddie’s obsession with Catherine and as a result with Rodolfo’s and Catherine’s relationship drives him over the edge. From the moment he sees Catherine’s attraction to Beatrice’s cousin he can no longer think logically. It is this that pushes him to forget his loyalty to Beatrice and the two men and, finally, to betray the immigrants to the authorities.