Saturday, September 14, 2019
How does Miller present Catherine growing up in A View From the Bridge Essay
Over the course of the play, Miller presents Catherineââ¬â¢s growing sense of independence in the Carbone household. At the start of the play Catherine is portrayed as reliant on Eddie, adopting a domestic role, as well as naive and emotionally immature. After Marco and Rodolphoââ¬â¢s arrival, she quickly starts to become aware of her sexuality and starts to assert her independence and begins going against what Eddie says. By the end of Act 1 Catherine is able to talk back to Eddie and defies his orders and starts to see him as negative figure in her life. Miller uses Catherine to show how stereotypes of female behaviour are being challenged in Red Hook. When the audience is first introduced to, Miller presents her as the stereotypical housewife, as shown through the stage directions ââ¬Å"enter[ing] from the kitchenâ⬠. The reference to the kitchen suggests that Catherineââ¬â¢s role is confined to that of a housewife; in addition her ââ¬Å"look[ing]â⬠for Eddie implies she eagerly waits for his return, much like a partner would. Her domestic role is further reinforced when Miller has her ââ¬Å"get [Eddie] a beerâ⬠an action intended for a wife rather than a daughter. Catherineââ¬â¢s eagerness to please Eddie is further demonstrated when Miller has her ââ¬Å"turn for himâ⬠. This shows not only her eagerness but also her naivety, as without questioning his orders she willingly puts her body on display for him. Her naivety is further explored when she ââ¬Å"light[s]â⬠Eddieââ¬â¢s cigar for him. Lighting a manââ¬â¢s cigar is seen as a romantic gesture, done between husband and wife, so the fact that Catherine fails to recognise the significance behind her actions goes to demonstrate her ignorance towards adult situations, further cementing in the audienceââ¬â¢s mind that she acts like a child. Miller uses Catherineââ¬â¢s interactions with Beatrice to show how childlike she is despite her age. A notable example of this is when Beatrice says to her ââ¬Å"go baby, set the tableâ⬠. In this line the word ââ¬Å"babyâ⬠could be seen as a term of affection that Beatrice has for Catherine ââ¬â a likely assumption as she is Catherineââ¬â¢s mother figure. However it could be seen as having a hidden meaning; it could to show how Beatrice unknowingly views Catherine, as a baby. This is evidenced by the fact that Beatrice is commanding Catherine by telling her to ââ¬Å"set the tableâ⬠. After Marco and Rodolpho arrive Miller begins to show the first signs of Catherineââ¬â¢s increasing independence. Through her relationship with Eddie we start to see her break away from his control and start to gain some authority. This is shown when she tells Rodolpho to ââ¬Å"go ahead [and] sing itâ⬠. This is a significant moment as it is the first instance in the play where Catherine takes a role of authority and commands someone else. Additionally slightly further on she tells Eddie to ââ¬Å"leave him finishâ⬠. This goes directly against what Eddie was just telling Rodolpho and is the first instance in which Catherine challenges Eddieââ¬â¢s authority. This goes along with the first quote go to show just how much she has changed from when we first met her; she has gone from completely dependent on Eddie and has begun to start to challenge him. Catherineââ¬â¢s interactions with Beatrice begin to show how she has started to drift away from whatââ¬â¢s expected of her as a stereotypical woman. Miller develops this idea through the fact that throughout the scene Catherine has been ignoring the duty given to her by Eddie, to get the guests coffee, and has forced Beatrice to take the job and ââ¬Å"get the coffeeâ⬠herself. This moment signifies the point where Catherine starts to no longer act as a wife towards Eddie, and allows Beatrice to take that role once again. Miller uses Catherineââ¬â¢s and Rodolphoââ¬â¢s relationship to show how she is maturing sexually. From the start Miller makes it very clear from the start that Catherine is interested in Rodolpho when he describes her as ââ¬Å"wondrouslyâ⬠asking him a bout his complexion. Catherineââ¬â¢s intentions are given away here, as wonder is a strong feeling to have for someone she has just met. This is further emphasized when she exclaims once again about his appearance, saying ââ¬Å"Heââ¬â¢s a real blonde!â⬠showing that she is so captivated with his appearance that she cannot believe what she is seeing. Another point that reinforced this idea is when she describes his singing by saying ââ¬Å"heââ¬â¢s terrific, itââ¬â¢s terrificâ⬠. This switch from ââ¬Å"heâ⬠to ââ¬Å"itâ⬠could imply that Catherine might be so infatuated with Rodolpho she can not help complimenting him and must correct herself in order to hide the fact that she does feel love attraction towards him. Finally she later goes onto ask Rodolpho if he ââ¬Å"like[s] sugarâ⬠this is a sexual comment veiled as a question and goes to show Catherineââ¬â¢s growing sense of sexual maturity. By the end of Act 1 Miller has shown Catherine to become more independent, this is first demonstrated through how her relationship with Eddie has changed. Firstly, Miller portrays Catherine to be far more forward with Eddie as shown when Catherine is described as talking to Eddie with ââ¬Å"an edge of angerâ⬠. Her now being ââ¬Å"anger[ed]â⬠is a big change from how the audience originally viewed Catherineââ¬â¢s thoughts on Eddie- a childlike figure who relied heavily him. Furthermore, the change in her behaviour is emphasized by the fact that she can now assert some form of dominance over Eddie, as shown by the fact the he ââ¬Å"retreat[s] before the threat of her angerâ⬠. Secondly Eddie himself starts to see that Catherine is maturing and growing up as shown when he says, ââ¬Å" youââ¬â¢re a big girlâ⬠. However the use of the words ââ¬Å"big girlâ⬠suggest while he may acknowledge that she is growing up he still does not view her as an adult as many others are starting to do. Beatrice is one of those who recognises that Catherine is maturing, and helps her in doing so. She tells Catherine throughout their conversation that sheââ¬â¢s ââ¬Å"not a baby anymoreâ⬠. ââ¬Å"Babyâ⬠was the term of affection originally used by Beatrice to refer to Catherine, so her telling Catherine that she is no longer a ââ¬Å"babyâ⬠, implies that Beatrice no longer sees her as a child and that she is trying to convince Catherine that she is growing up to be a woman. Finally, Miller uses her relationship with Rodolpho to show how she has now gained independence and is able to defy Eddie. The most notable example of this is when she asks Rodolpho if he ââ¬Å"wanna danceâ⬠. This comes right after when Eddie starts questioning Rodolpho on the way he behaves while he is out. Catherine asking Rodolpho to dance serves to act as a gesture of rebellion whose purpose is to show to Eddie that Catherine is now able to think for herself and goes to demonstrate that she no longer needs his approval on what she can and cannot do. Miller uses Catherine to explore the developing theme of womanhood and the struggle for female independence and by doing so he also uses her to challenge the traditional stereotypes that females in Red Hook, and by extensions the world, face.
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