Arthur Miller
Arthur Miller was born to a Jewish family in New York in 1915. His grandparents had come to America from Poland. When the family business failed, they moved to Brooklyn, where A View from the Bridge is set. There, Arthur worked in a warehouse to earn money for his university fees.
He began to write plays while he was a student at the University of Michigan and continued to do so after he graduated in 1938 and became a journalist. He received much acclaim from All My Sons in 1947, Death of a Salesman (1949) - which won the Pulitzer Prize - and The Crucible (1952) confirmed him as a great playwright.
Between his years as a journalist and making his name as a writer, Miller worked in the Brooklyn shipyards for two years, where he befriended the Italians he worked alongside. He heard a story of some men coming over to work illegally and being betrayed. The story inspired A View from the Bridge, which was written in 1955. It was originally a one-act play, but Miller re-worked it into a two-act play the following year.
Miller's first marriage ended in divorce in 1956. He then married the actress Marilyn Monroe, but they divorced in 1961. His third marriage was to a photographer, Inge Morath.
Most of his work is set in the America of the day and portrays realistic characters and events. He deals with political and moral issues (such as McCarthyism) and weaves in ideas from Greek tragedy. He is interested in how personal relationships dictate the way one leads one's life and about people's struggles to do what is right.
Miller died in 2005 at the age of 89. Today, he is regarded as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century.
The Play –
A View from the Bridge is a play by Arthur Miller originally produced as a one-act verse drama on Broadway in 1955. Miller's interest in writing about the world of the New York docks originated with an unproduced screenplay that he developed with Elia Kazan in the early 1950s, entitled The Hook, dealing with corruption on the Brooklyn docks. Miller has been quoted as saying that he heard the basic account that developed into the plot of A View from the Bridge from a longshoreman, who related it to him as a true story. Although the 1955 one-act production was not successful, it was revised in 1956 to become a more traditional prose play in two acts, and it is through this version that audiences are most familiar with the work today.
McCarthyism -
McCarthyism is a term describing the intense anti-communist suspicion in the United States in a period that lasted roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s. This period coincided with increased fears about communist influence on American institutions and espionage by Soviet agents. Originally coined to criticise the actions of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, "McCarthyism" later took on a more general meaning, not necessarily referring to the conduct of Joseph McCarthy alone.
During this time many thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or communist sympathisers and became the subject of aggressive investigations and questioning before government or private-industry panels, committees and agencies. The primary targets of such suspicions were government employees, those in the entertainment industry, educators and union activists. Suspicions were often given credence despite inconclusive or questionable evidence, and the level of threat posed by a person's real or supposed leftist associations or beliefs was often greatly exaggerated. Many people suffered loss of employment, destruction of their careers, and even imprisonment. Most of these punishments came about through trial verdicts later overturned,laws that would be declared unconstitutional,dismissals for reasons later declared illegal, or extra-legal procedures that would come into general disrepute.
The most famous examples of McCarthyism include the Hollywood Blacklist and the investigations and hearings conducted by Joseph McCarthy. But it was a widespread social and cultural phenomenon that affected all levels of society and was the source of a great deal of debate and conflict in the United States.
McCarthyism and Miller -
Miller's plays tend to be contemporary commentaries upon the major political issues of his time, told in allegory or metaphor. Any reading of this play needs to be undertaken in the context of the activities of the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC), as it is a direct response to the divisions that the HUAC created in American society, including between the old friends, Miller and Elia Kazan.
The threat of Communism in the post-World War II era (that is, during the early Cold War years) created an environment where US congressional committees were empowered to seek out Communists operating in the community. The HUAC, for example, encouraged members of the entertainment industry to turn over colleagues whom they suspected of being Communists. The penalty for being labelled a Communist was to be 'blacklisted'—meaning that one was effectively barred from working in the US movie industry again.
"Naming names" to the HUAC was seen by some as a deep betrayal, and by others as one's natural duty as a citizen. Miller was of the former opinion and refused to name names. His one-time friend, Kazan, took the opposite course. Each of them sought to justify his position through his dramatic work.
In 1953, Miller's play The Crucible put before the public a drama, based on the Salem witch-trials, that by analogy criticised the work of HUAC and those who collaborated with it.
The 1954 movie On the Waterfront by Elia Kazan tells a story that has certain parallels to Miller's A View from the Bridge - both are set in dockland, and each features a lonely protagonist who gives testimony against someone once close to him. On the Waterfront is believed to be Kazan's response to criticism (by Miller among others) of his actions in naming names before the HUAC. The film's protagonist (Terry Malloy) agrees to testify against a corrupt union boss for whom he has worked closely. Malloy is portrayed by Kazan as a hero who does his duty for the greater good. Kazan is thus defending his honour through this character.
Miller, by contrast, was outraged by Kazan's action, seeing it as a dishonourable act by his former collaborator. Miller, suspected of being a communist sympathiser, refused to name names, and risked imprisonment for his ideals. Thus, in Miller's 1955/56 play, A View from the Bridge, Eddie Carbone is degraded from a respectable man to a shameful animal because his wild mistrust and sexual jealousy of Rodolpho lead to his turning in Rodolpho and Marco to the Immigration Bureau. Carbone here is clearly representing the actions of Kazan in allegedly turning friends in to the HUAC, and Miller is giving his opinion on what he considers a shameful betrayal.
In 1956, Miller was convicted for contempt of Congress, but was eventually quashed in Washington’s Court of Appeals in 1958. He was convicted for refusing to tell the HUAC the names of alleged Communist writers with whom he attended five or six meetings in New York in 1947. The playwright refused to name names on a point of principle saying: I could not use the name of another person and bring trouble on him.
Italian Immigration -
Italy in 1955 was a very poor country. During World War 2, Italy - ruled by the Fascist Mussolini - had initially fought alongside Nazi Germany. Yet the Italians became increasingly anxious about their role in the war and about Fascism, and in 1943, Mussolini was deposed by Victor Emmanuel III, the king of Italy. Italy then switched sides in the war and supported the British allies, but suffered huge loses in northern towns and villages as the Nazis tried to take revenge. After the war, following a referendum, the monarchy was abolished and a republic was established.
However, the economy was slow to grow, especially in the south, which was less industrialised. With no jobs and no prospects, it was not surprising that many people decided to try their luck in 'rich' America. There was a thriving trade in illegal immigration, encouraged by the dockyard owners, who knew that they could get cheap labour from immigrants until they had paid for their passage over. Once they had paid their fare, the immigrants were left to make their own way.
When Italy joined the new European Economic Community in 1957, much money was pumped into Italy to reduce unemployment. One key part of this process was the establishment of the Fiat factory in Turin: thousands of peasants from the south moved north to make cars. Sadly, this was just too late for Marco and Rodolpho.
The play is set in Red Hook, Brooklyn, a very poor area, described by Alfieri as the slum that faces the bay on the seaward side of Brooklyn Bridge.
The American Dream -
In general, the American Dream can be defined as having the opportunity and freedom that allows all citizens to achieve their goals in life through hard work and determination alone. Today, it generally refers to the idea that one's prosperity depends upon one's own abilities and hard work, not on a rigid class structure, though the meaning of the phrase has changed over America's history. For some, it is the opportunity to achieve more prosperity than they could in their countries of origin; for others, it is the opportunity for their children to grow up with an education and career opportunities; for others, it is the opportunity to be an individual without the constraints imposed by class, caste, race, or ethnicity.
While the term "American Dream" today is often associated with immigrants, native-born Americans can also be described as "pursuing the American Dream" or "living the American Dream".
He began to write plays while he was a student at the University of Michigan and continued to do so after he graduated in 1938 and became a journalist. He received much acclaim from All My Sons in 1947, Death of a Salesman (1949) - which won the Pulitzer Prize - and The Crucible (1952) confirmed him as a great playwright.
Between his years as a journalist and making his name as a writer, Miller worked in the Brooklyn shipyards for two years, where he befriended the Italians he worked alongside. He heard a story of some men coming over to work illegally and being betrayed. The story inspired A View from the Bridge, which was written in 1955. It was originally a one-act play, but Miller re-worked it into a two-act play the following year.
Miller's first marriage ended in divorce in 1956. He then married the actress Marilyn Monroe, but they divorced in 1961. His third marriage was to a photographer, Inge Morath.
Most of his work is set in the America of the day and portrays realistic characters and events. He deals with political and moral issues (such as McCarthyism) and weaves in ideas from Greek tragedy. He is interested in how personal relationships dictate the way one leads one's life and about people's struggles to do what is right.
Miller died in 2005 at the age of 89. Today, he is regarded as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century.
The Play –
A View from the Bridge is a play by Arthur Miller originally produced as a one-act verse drama on Broadway in 1955. Miller's interest in writing about the world of the New York docks originated with an unproduced screenplay that he developed with Elia Kazan in the early 1950s, entitled The Hook, dealing with corruption on the Brooklyn docks. Miller has been quoted as saying that he heard the basic account that developed into the plot of A View from the Bridge from a longshoreman, who related it to him as a true story. Although the 1955 one-act production was not successful, it was revised in 1956 to become a more traditional prose play in two acts, and it is through this version that audiences are most familiar with the work today.
McCarthyism -
McCarthyism is a term describing the intense anti-communist suspicion in the United States in a period that lasted roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s. This period coincided with increased fears about communist influence on American institutions and espionage by Soviet agents. Originally coined to criticise the actions of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, "McCarthyism" later took on a more general meaning, not necessarily referring to the conduct of Joseph McCarthy alone.
During this time many thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or communist sympathisers and became the subject of aggressive investigations and questioning before government or private-industry panels, committees and agencies. The primary targets of such suspicions were government employees, those in the entertainment industry, educators and union activists. Suspicions were often given credence despite inconclusive or questionable evidence, and the level of threat posed by a person's real or supposed leftist associations or beliefs was often greatly exaggerated. Many people suffered loss of employment, destruction of their careers, and even imprisonment. Most of these punishments came about through trial verdicts later overturned,laws that would be declared unconstitutional,dismissals for reasons later declared illegal, or extra-legal procedures that would come into general disrepute.
The most famous examples of McCarthyism include the Hollywood Blacklist and the investigations and hearings conducted by Joseph McCarthy. But it was a widespread social and cultural phenomenon that affected all levels of society and was the source of a great deal of debate and conflict in the United States.
McCarthyism and Miller -
Miller's plays tend to be contemporary commentaries upon the major political issues of his time, told in allegory or metaphor. Any reading of this play needs to be undertaken in the context of the activities of the House Unamerican Activities Committee (HUAC), as it is a direct response to the divisions that the HUAC created in American society, including between the old friends, Miller and Elia Kazan.
The threat of Communism in the post-World War II era (that is, during the early Cold War years) created an environment where US congressional committees were empowered to seek out Communists operating in the community. The HUAC, for example, encouraged members of the entertainment industry to turn over colleagues whom they suspected of being Communists. The penalty for being labelled a Communist was to be 'blacklisted'—meaning that one was effectively barred from working in the US movie industry again.
"Naming names" to the HUAC was seen by some as a deep betrayal, and by others as one's natural duty as a citizen. Miller was of the former opinion and refused to name names. His one-time friend, Kazan, took the opposite course. Each of them sought to justify his position through his dramatic work.
In 1953, Miller's play The Crucible put before the public a drama, based on the Salem witch-trials, that by analogy criticised the work of HUAC and those who collaborated with it.
The 1954 movie On the Waterfront by Elia Kazan tells a story that has certain parallels to Miller's A View from the Bridge - both are set in dockland, and each features a lonely protagonist who gives testimony against someone once close to him. On the Waterfront is believed to be Kazan's response to criticism (by Miller among others) of his actions in naming names before the HUAC. The film's protagonist (Terry Malloy) agrees to testify against a corrupt union boss for whom he has worked closely. Malloy is portrayed by Kazan as a hero who does his duty for the greater good. Kazan is thus defending his honour through this character.
Miller, by contrast, was outraged by Kazan's action, seeing it as a dishonourable act by his former collaborator. Miller, suspected of being a communist sympathiser, refused to name names, and risked imprisonment for his ideals. Thus, in Miller's 1955/56 play, A View from the Bridge, Eddie Carbone is degraded from a respectable man to a shameful animal because his wild mistrust and sexual jealousy of Rodolpho lead to his turning in Rodolpho and Marco to the Immigration Bureau. Carbone here is clearly representing the actions of Kazan in allegedly turning friends in to the HUAC, and Miller is giving his opinion on what he considers a shameful betrayal.
In 1956, Miller was convicted for contempt of Congress, but was eventually quashed in Washington’s Court of Appeals in 1958. He was convicted for refusing to tell the HUAC the names of alleged Communist writers with whom he attended five or six meetings in New York in 1947. The playwright refused to name names on a point of principle saying: I could not use the name of another person and bring trouble on him.
Italian Immigration -
Italy in 1955 was a very poor country. During World War 2, Italy - ruled by the Fascist Mussolini - had initially fought alongside Nazi Germany. Yet the Italians became increasingly anxious about their role in the war and about Fascism, and in 1943, Mussolini was deposed by Victor Emmanuel III, the king of Italy. Italy then switched sides in the war and supported the British allies, but suffered huge loses in northern towns and villages as the Nazis tried to take revenge. After the war, following a referendum, the monarchy was abolished and a republic was established.
However, the economy was slow to grow, especially in the south, which was less industrialised. With no jobs and no prospects, it was not surprising that many people decided to try their luck in 'rich' America. There was a thriving trade in illegal immigration, encouraged by the dockyard owners, who knew that they could get cheap labour from immigrants until they had paid for their passage over. Once they had paid their fare, the immigrants were left to make their own way.
When Italy joined the new European Economic Community in 1957, much money was pumped into Italy to reduce unemployment. One key part of this process was the establishment of the Fiat factory in Turin: thousands of peasants from the south moved north to make cars. Sadly, this was just too late for Marco and Rodolpho.
The play is set in Red Hook, Brooklyn, a very poor area, described by Alfieri as the slum that faces the bay on the seaward side of Brooklyn Bridge.
The American Dream -
In general, the American Dream can be defined as having the opportunity and freedom that allows all citizens to achieve their goals in life through hard work and determination alone. Today, it generally refers to the idea that one's prosperity depends upon one's own abilities and hard work, not on a rigid class structure, though the meaning of the phrase has changed over America's history. For some, it is the opportunity to achieve more prosperity than they could in their countries of origin; for others, it is the opportunity for their children to grow up with an education and career opportunities; for others, it is the opportunity to be an individual without the constraints imposed by class, caste, race, or ethnicity.
While the term "American Dream" today is often associated with immigrants, native-born Americans can also be described as "pursuing the American Dream" or "living the American Dream".